Too much Red
by Clydell Humphries
Summary: Grell mustered the courage to look at his chest, where the blood continued to pour from his open wound. "Sebas… chan…" He mumbled, voice barely strong enough to be called a whisper, "there's… there's so much red. T-Too much." Sebastian/Grell.
1. That Reaper, Flamboyant

**A/N: Ok, ok, I know I shouldn't be writing fanfiction at the moment and instead editing one of my original stories. Sue me, I gave into temptation. Is that so wrong? I've had this idea in my head while re-watching Kuroshitsuji… it's time to actually write it. It's GrellxSebastian, not sure if that alone qualifies as yaoi, but there's nothing more than a kiss (for now). Also, my first fanfic in the fandom… so it will probably suck. You have been warned! I've tried my hardest not to make it OOC, promise.**

**Dunno when this is set… somewhere between episodes 3 and 4 of Kuroshitsuji II? Because by then, we've seen a fair amount of Grell and it's before the plot gets really full-on. There are a few minor spoilers for Kuroshitsuji II, but this shouldn't ruin anything major if you haven't already seen it.**

* * *

><p>"Young master."<p>

Ciel Phantomhive's eyes shot open immediately, observing the scene around him with curiosity before letting out a loud sigh. Closing them again, he tried to remember the dream he had been having before he was awoken. It was a strange one at that… somehow he'd felt trapped, almost as if he was in a small confined space for a long period of time. He shook his head, trying to relieve himself from the drowsiness. No, he was just being naïve. Just because it wasn't the first time he'd had the dream, it didn't make it have any _meaning_.

Watching him from the doorway was his butler. Dressed in the same attire as usual, he looked at the young Earl with something that an outsider would have taken as concern. But Ciel knew him better than that.

Sebastian Michaelis only cared about one thing; his young master's soul. It was the reason the demon was standing there on that day, playing the role of the superb butler.

"I'm terribly sorry to wake you, master, but a letter came for you earlier," the demon said. "Had I known you were sleeping, it could have waited until later on this evening."

"I wasn't sleeping," Ciel denied. "I was just… oh shut up, won't you?" He snapped when he saw a smirk appear on Sebastian's face.

He handed the young Earl the letter, the Royal symbol clearly on the seal. "As you wish, master."

Ciel opened the letter, looking over its contents quickly. He groaned, placing it back into the envelope. Sebastian looked at him curiously.

"The Queen wishes for me to look into a set of robberies that have been occurring in London lately," He explained. "_Hardly_ a job for a noble… is the Scotland Yard good for anything these days? She should be letting me investigate something more important, like the disappearances of members of the police force recently. Doesn't she think I'm capable?"

"It would appear not."

"Oh well," Ciel mused, "as the Queen's Guard Dog, it is my duty to follow her commands. I may as well get it over and done with, I suppose. I was planning to go into London regardless today; this will be nothing more than a quick detour." Sebastian raised an eyebrow; his young master hadn't told him of any plans for that day.

"Might I enquire as to where you were planning on going?" he questioned. Ciel looked at the demon's amber eyes for a few moments before replying.

"To visit Madam Red."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this, master?" Sebastian asked. "For all we know, the Madam may be on travels, perhaps we should call first?" Ciel sighed, looking out the window of the moving carriage.<p>

"I see no need," He replied simply. "We are heading to London already; if she's not there, she's not there. Besides, when has _she_ ever called me ahead of time to warn me of her arrivals? I haven't seen her for quite a while now, not even when we were investigating the human body combustion case. Whether I like it or not, she's my aunt. I need to spend some more time with her before…" He trailed of, avoiding the demon's gaze.

_Before I devour your soul_, Sebastian said to himself, a small smile suppressed inside him. He had been so close the first time; before a certain spider butler interfered… he wasn't going to let Ciel's soul escape him again. If only the boy knew.

They soon after arrived in London, leaving the carriage parked outside the Scotland Yard. Sebastian helped his young master out, looking around him. The sun was about to set; night was quickly approaching. There was nobody else in the street except for themselves and a man and woman nearby. They were about to enter the building, but not before a small shriek was heard.

"Get off me!" a shocked voice rang through the air. "Oh God, somebody _please_ help me!" Sebastian and Ciel turned their heads just in time to see a woman pushed roughly to the ground, then a man run in the opposite direction while clutching an item tightly.

"Sebastian!" Ciel said fiercely, placing his hand to his eye patch and turning to his butler. "This is an order; follow that man and catch him!"

"Yes, my lord," The demon replied, giving a quick bow before disappearing from sight. Ciel sighed, making his way towards the woman. The least he could do was help her up.

"Excuse me, miss? Are you alright?" he enquired politely. The woman got up shakily, her face turned away from him. She was silent. "Miss? Are you injured?" Ciel asked again. The woman shook her head, still not responding. Ciel began to lose his patience. It wouldn't be too much to ask for an answer, would it? "Are you su-"

"Oh, shut up!" She snapped, her voice unusually gruff for a woman's. "I'm not injured, but _you_ will if you don't shut that little trap of yours!" To Ciel's surprise, he was grabbed roughly by the neck, being pulled up into the air. The woman's bonnet slid off slightly, revealing her true face.

Or _his _true face.

"You… bastard!" Ciel spat, thrashing about violently in a feeble attempt to be let free. The grip on his neck tightened, causing a few black dots to appear in his vision. He began to feel lightheaded. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he said with the last of his strength. "I am-"

"Ciel Phantomhive," The man finished. "I've done my homework, brat. You're the Queen's precious _Guard Dog,_ aren't you?" He put his hand over the young boy's mouth, pulling him into a nearby alleyway.

* * *

><p>Sebastian had the man cornered.<p>

There was no escape for him now. He'd managed to remove the weapons from him (a pistol and dagger); now it was only a matter of knocking him out and bringing him back to the young master.

"W-what… b-but_ how_…?" the man stuttered, backing away into farthest corner he could. "No ordinary p-person could have… I-I-"

"Think whatever you wish," Sebastian invited, "but I am only one _hell_ of a butler." He picked up the lid of a nearby trashcan, deciding that it would do the job nicely. The man quivered with fright, covering his face with his arms.

"Please don't hurt me!" he pleaded. "I-I'm only an accomplice, I s-swear!" Sebastian sighed, lowering down the trashcan lid slightly.

"Humour me, then," The demon suggested. "But I advise you keep it short, my young master and I are behind schedule enough as it is."

"The Earl Phantomhive… he is the real victim in this case, I swear! Y-yes, I've been the one stealing from people, b-but I was doing it under orders! W-well, I was already stealing before Robert made m-me, but-" Sebastian sighed, deciding that if he was ever going to get a word of sense out of the man, he would have to apply some pressure to the situation.

He reached into his tailcoat pocket, pulling out the man's pistol from earlier on. He pointed it straight at the culprit, giving him an ice cold stare at the same time. He felt his eyes flash from one colour to another, making the man yelp.

"You have fifteen seconds," he said in a somewhat pleasant manner, "to tell me what business your _boss_ has with my young master. Would I be correct in saying that your little robberies have something to do with the recent disappearances of members from the Scotland Yard?"

The man was sweating bullets by now, however he began almost immediately. "Yes! He's going to kill him!" he said quickly. "The robbery… it was a distraction! Robert Bishop, he has been blackmailing me, making me work with him. At first I was really robbing people, but as more advanced members of the Scotland Yard were put onto the case, the robberies became fake! Whenever we passed one of the investigators on the streets, we'd play out the robbery again. I would run away, and the noble would usually send his men after me, as what happened today. I'm fast, they never catch me. Except for now. As they help the 'woman' up, he would do the job. Shoot them, I mean."

Sebastian sighed, wondering why the Earl's life couldn't be a little less complicated for once. Most people he formed a contract with were a lot easier to handle than _this_. "So your boss was planning for my young master to be his next target? How did he get the information needed to find out who would next be put on the case?" he enquired.

"He works f-for the Queen. He h-has access to those sorts of things, it's the only reason he took up the job. He has a grudge against her, so he's taking out people that work in the Queen's name," The man spluttered, trembling violently.

Sebastian nodded. "Well, I thank you for the information," He said politely. "It seems two cases have been solved today." Before the man could say another word, Sebastian threw the gun down, hitting him squarely in the forehead and knocking him unconscious.

Sebastian calculated the distance from where he was to the Scotland Yard. He soon figured out that, if indeed there _had_ been a gunshot, he would have heard it. He still had time.

"That was a _very_ entertaining performance, Sebby!" A voice said from behind him, full of admiration. "For a few seconds there I thought you were _actually_ going to shoot him, even though he isn't down for his soul to be harvested." Sebastian turned around in disbelief; however he wasn't at all surprised to see a red-headed grim reaper standing nearby, gazing at him in awe.

"Grell Sutcliff," He said, nodding stiffly.

The reaper smiled, revealing all of his white, sharp teeth. "You're looking stressed, Sebas-chan!" he said in a sing-song voice. "Do you need me to give you a massage?"

The demon rolled his eyes in a disgusted way; trust the only person to truly appreciate him to be a complete… well, there wasn't really a word to describe what Grell was. He might actually _like_ the reaper, if he wasn't so flamboyant, energetic and persistent that they were lovers all the time. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to decline your kind offer." He said, glancing at his timepiece. At this rate they would never be home in time for dinner.

Grell's face fell. "Really? Where are you heading for, Sebby?" he asked, latching on to Sebastian's arm tightly.

The demon supressed a sigh. "To fetch my young master. It seems he's gotten himself in a bit of trouble, I'm afraid."

Grell's eyes flashed with excitement. "So I've heard. It seems I'm headed in the same direction." He quickly opened his ledger, scanning through the list of names on it. "Ah, Robert Bishop. To be stabbed in the heart at exactly 6:57 today by a demon, in an alleyway near the Scotland Yard building."

"Why do I sense a feeling of déjà vu?" Sebastian asked sarcastically.

Grell winked, putting his face closer to his Romeo's chest. "I've requested that most of my jobs be here in London, you know," He explained lazily, putting away his ledger in one of his pockets. "I've been hoping to catch sight of you, Sebby!"

Sebastian groaned, deciding that he should save Ciel as soon as possible. Maybe that way he would be free from the shinigami sooner. Besides, it was getting dark rather quickly. "Come then, Grell. We'd best go and harvest this soul of yours."

Grell grinned, again showing his sharp teeth. "I'm right behind you, my dear Sebas-chan~!" he announced joyfully.

* * *

><p>Robert Bishop threw Ciel to the ground, wondering how to dispose of him. Unlike all the other incidents, the only opportunity he would have had to capture him would be when he was making his way in and out of the Scotland Yard's building. Which means, should he shoot him, the police would hear the gunshot and would immediately come to investigate. Unfortunately, there was no way to moving Ciel faraway enough without attracting attention either.<p>

Robert cursed, throwing off the bonnet that had disguised him well. Ciel began to stir on the ground, his senses slowly coming back to him. He sat up, looking around in confusion for a few moments before realizing the situation he was in. He looked up at Robert, disgust clearly shown in the one eye that was visible.

"I honestly don't see the point in kidnapping members of the police force… or the Queen's Watchdog," He admitted. Robert was surprised; he had expected the child to show a little fear, to perhaps give a yelp in shock once he realized the position he was in.

But it wasn't so. Ciel Phantomhive stood strong, almost as if the situation didn't bother him; like he had a ticket out of it.

Could his reputation speak the truth?

Robert realized that he was getting side tracked. Looking at the young Phantomehive in the eyes, he leaned in closer. "Oh, trust me. I'm doing much more than just kidnapping them," He said with a hint of darkness in his voice. To his surprise, Ciel shrugged.

"I don't really see the point in killing them, either. What do you gain from it, exactly?" Robert lost his cool at that comment. That brat… he had no idea what he was speaking of.

To Ciel's mild shock, he was punched in the stomach. A searing, burning sensation spread through him like fire, and he couldn't resist yelping out in pain for just a second. He collapsed to the ground once more, wondering if Sebastian had caught the other man yet. He sighed, touching the eye patch over his right eye.

"Sebastian… kill this creep." He muttered, knowing that his faithful servant would hear him. It was only a matter of time now.

Meanwhile, walking the streets of London with a rather stubborn reaper holding onto his arm tightly, Sebastian heard the order; now all he had to do was respond. He smirked, letting out a low chuckle before making his way quickly to where he sensed his master was, closely followed by a frantic, red-headed accomplice.

Robert dug his hand into his pocket, and was confused to feel a small, smooth object inside. He took it out, realizing that it was a pocket knife. His surprised look turned into a devious one; why hadn't he thought of it before?

Lifting Ciel up from his collar, he produced the largest knife from the selection. It would only be one short stab… then he would be dead.

"Are you going to kill me, now?" Ciel asked, looking up at the man.

"You wouldn't understand… you… you brat!" Ciel looked up, noticing that the man's eyes were completely bloodshot. He was mad. "The Queen… she thinks she's so loyal to her country! She abuses her power, corrupting everything around her... poisoning it until she's happy. She was responsible for the fires in London, I know it! But since I cannot kill her to make her pay for what she's done, I'm going to kill all those who side with her instead!"

Ciel let out a laugh, shaking his head in amusement. "That's your excuse for revenge? It's almost as pathetic as your reason to live; meaningless, repulsive… questionable, even."

Robert's hands began shaking as he stared at the Earl, unable to believe his ears. "Y-you…" he said, the grip on his knife tightening, "how… d-dare!" He gave up on words, instead he drew his hand back, thrusting it toward with as much force as he could.

"I'd be careful if I were you. Knives are dangerous, after all," A new voice rang through the air. Ciel looked up, pleased to finally see his butler next to the criminal, holding the knife so it couldn't reach forward enough to pierce his skin. Sebastian looked at him, bowing his head slightly. "I'm terribly sorry I was late, master. I had… a bit of a problem." He gestured to where the shinigami was standing, observing the scene almost in amazement.

"You ran into your friend again, Sebastian?" Ciel asked, rolling his eyes.

Sebastian smirked. "I'd hardly call him that, my lord." In the background, Grell spun around in glee, blowing a kiss.

Robert continued to look around in a daze. Sebastian pushed him over, throwing the knife aside and picking up Ciel in his arms.

"Come, master," He said politely. "You ordered me to kill him, I believe? It should be-"

"It was a mistake on my behalf," Ciel interrupted. "I should have considered what the Queen wanted; she ordered me to investigate the matter, not kill the one responsible. I take back the order." Sebastian nodded.

"Very well, then," He said, something nagging at the back of his mind.

It was Grell who brought it up. "But wait!" the Death God protested, once again looking through his ledger. "It says that you were going to kill him at exactly 6:57 today! Don't do this to me Sebby, I need to gather more souls! William's de-promoted me enough as it is, do you really think he'll allow _this?_"

Somewhere inside him, Sebastian felt a stab of pity for the reaper. Sure, he deserved the blow for killing Madam Red and all the other innocent women. However, he shouldn't have been punished for helping him into the Reaper's library, nor when he couldn't harvest the soul of Mrs Turner. So being de-promoted just because somebody wasn't dead yet? Reapers really were amusing.

"Why should we care?" Ciel asked. "I'm sure there are plenty of other souls out there for you to _harvest_."

"You don't understand!" Grell said helplessly. "I need this one! I'm not allowed to harvest any souls, _except_ for the ones that are in my ledger!"

"You… won't kill me!" A raspy voice said from behind Grell. Everybody was startled to hear it; they'd almost forgotten about Robert. They thought that when he'd been knocked down, he'd also been knocked unconscious. Grell turned around in surprise, and that's when it happened.

To Sebastian, the whole event seemed to go in slow motion. He watched in a mixture of shock, fear and disbelief as the crazed man leapt forward, clutching the pocket knife he'd retrieved, and plunged it into Grell's chest.

* * *

><p><strong>A cliff-hanger… how very unoriginal of me :P Sorry for any OOC-ness… still getting used to the characters.<strong>

**~Clide**


	2. That Reaper, Harmed

The Death God's eyes widened in shock, and after a moment or two he tried to draw in a breath. However it seemed to get caught in his throat, and he fell to his knees almost instantly, shaking violently. A few strange sounds escaped his mouth, but none of them formed words, only whimpers of pain. The knife had slid through him effortlessly; that was not something that Sebastian had expected. Surely reapers' defenses were better than that! But it wasn't so… the damage had been done.

Robert withdrew the knife, looking around in shock before staggering backwards. As for the Grell, he suddenly stayed still, his eyes completely void of emotion. When reality had suck in, mere moments later, he gently touched the wound, bringing his gloved hand back up his face. Examining it, he trembled slightly once again.

"Red…" he murmured, low enough only for Sebastian to hear. He looked up in pain at the demon that was standing nearby, his rigid arms still trapping Ciel.

The butler's mind had gone numb, only one thought hammering through. _Why? Why hadn't he made sure Robert was knocked out, or at least destroyed the weapon in question?_

"Fool…" he whispered to himself, feeling an emotion that he hadn't experienced in so long. Pure guilt.

All of this happened in such a short space of a time, yet it seemed like eternity to everybody involved. Regaining his composure, Robert prepared to stab the shinigami once more to finish him off.

Placing his young master on the ground, Sebastian leapt forward. His hands dove deep into his tailcoat, gripping the cold, metal steel of the knives. Without considering the consequences, he jumped into the air and threw one swiftly. Robert gasped, clutching at the metal implement now embedded in his chest. He barely registered the pain of the concrete grazing his knees as he fell to the ground, dying mere seconds after.

Wasting no more time, Sebastian ran to the reaper's side, kneeling down. Grell had collapsed onto his back, his hair sprawled out around him. The red liquid had already seeped through the white shirt, the brown vest… it was even beginning to stain the bright coat. He trembled, taking in ragged breathes. His green eyes looked around in fright, almost as if he couldn't see the demon in front of him.

"Sebas… chan?" he asked, slowly raising his hand as if to search for him. The stunned butler was about to respond, but not before his master spoke.

"Sebastian," Ciel said icily, "I did _not_ give you an order to simply drop me and run to that… _thing's_ side. Nor did I tell you to kill Robert Bishop."

Sebastian froze, part of him in shock at what he had done. Why? Why had he done it, at any rate? "Master," he said, standing up. "I'm sorry, but I had to kill Robert Bishop; he was a threat to your safety. If I didn't, I would have been putting you in danger, breaking the contract."

Ciel didn't seem convinced; however he didn't confront his butler about the issue. _Or rather, you wanted to stop him before your little friend was killed, _he thought to himself, the prospect of it seeming rather odd to him.

"And the reason you seem to intent on running to that things side?"

"You may be unaware of this, my lord, but there aren't actually many reapers left," Sebastian continued. That wasn't a lie; William T Spears had complained about overtime for a reason. "Though we are natural enemies, I had to check his condition. I apologize." He cast another glance at Grell, who continued to shake even worse than before. His face had turned a sickly, pale colour, and he was continuously muttering intelligible things, even to the demon's ear.

Ciel muttered something about pathetic excuses before nodding. "That _thing_ can just heal quickly like you though, can't it?" he questioned. Sebastian shook his head, the seriousness of the situation suddenly dawning on him.

"I'm unsure," he replied softly. "Grim reapers… from what I've heard, they are far stronger than humans, sometimes even as strong as the average demon. They have the ability to see cinematic records and harvest souls with their scythes. While they are immortal, it only means that they won't die of old age… or, as we found out recently, from burns and other things that would usually put an end to a human's life. If they are injured another way, however…" He trailed off, wondering for a moment whether Grell could hear them or not.

The answer was delivered a few seconds later, as he began looking around in panic, his breathing quickening. "Se… bas… chan…" he murmured once again, "p-p-please… _help me_. I'm s-so cold… can't s-see…" Sebastian took off one of his gloves and placed a hand on the pale cheek. He was amazed, and concerned, by just how much body heat the reaper had already lost. Was that a bad sign? For a human it would have been. Knowing this, he finally realized that a strange emotion was running through him. But not even centries of experience could pinpoint what it was.

"What do we do with it?" Ciel asked, making his way forward. "I get the impression that you know him fairly well, Sebastian. Would it perhaps… pain you, if I ordered you to leave him here to die?" Sebastian studied his master for a moment, not sure what to think. Was the young Earl being serious? Would he really give him an order like that?

"D-don't leave m-me!" Grell begged, growing more terror-stricken by the second. "P-please, Seba-" His words halted suddenly, and he seemed unable to find the strength to continue on.

Sebastian sighed, tearing his eyes away from the shinigami. "My lord…" he mused. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I am your loyal servant to the very end. If you tell me to leave, then I will leave. However, I ask of you for something just this once_. _A simple request." He turned back to Grell, whose breathes were becoming shallower. "I would like to help him. With your permission, I wish to take him back to the manor."

Ciel laughed, curious as to what was going on in Sebastian's head. Care for that creature? Surely he must be joking. Somehow (a distant memory, perhaps?), he knew that he'd seen the reaper and the demon meet before. But they were fighting then; they were enemies. Why the change of mood?

He sighed when he looked at Sebastian's eyes, realizing that he was serious. "How will it benefit us, exactly?"

"Reapers can be useful allies, my lord. If we are ever in need of assistance in the future, they will have a debt to repay."

"Very well then," Ciel gave in, "you may help the… _reaper_. Bring him to the carriage. During his time at the manor, he's your responsibility. He doesn't go anywhere _near_ my study or bedroom… or me. Is that understood? I'll go and inform the Scotland Yard of Robert Bishop's death."

Eager to get Grell out of there as quickly as possible, the butler nodded. He knew that if they dawdled, his chances of survival would continue to drop. They were low enough as it was from what he could see, it would be a miracle if he lived.

Ciel disappeared from sight, and Sebastian carefully scooped the reaper up into his arms, trying his hardest not to make contact with the wound. Regardless, Grell's eyes opened wide in anguish and he gasped, feeling an excruciating, fiery pain deep inside him. He looked around for Sebastian frantically, panic planted across his face. "Wait!" he protested, voice even weaker than before. "Sebby… I-I have to harvest the soul!"

Sebastian shook his head, the irony of the situation dawning on him. How could the reaper think about harvesting a soul while he was bleeding to death himself? It seemed as if he'd never seen this side of him before; the side that wasn't really bothering him. In all honesty, he liked him better this way. He was more peaceful, yet determined… the only downfall was that his life was hanging in the balance.

"P-please, it w-will only take a few m-moments," Grell continued to plead.

"Don't worry about the soul," Sebastian replied firmly. "Really, it will be alright, I promise."

Grell looked up, his eyes still searching around for him. A single tear made its way down the side of his face. "But I-I need to get that soul…" he said, feebly trying to escape the demon's hold, "otherwise William…" He abruptly began coughing violently, causing his whole body to rock. He looked at Sebastian for a split second before his eyes squeezed shut. "De-promote…"

"I told you not to worry about the soul," Sebastian repeated, his voice slightly more forceful this time. "Your superior can come and get it himself if it matters so much to him. You're injured."

The reaper's eyes opened once again, he was looking directly at Sebastian. Feebly, he held on to the front of the tailcoat, leaving a red mark on it, wondering if it really was the demon he'd fantasized about there that day.

_Was this part of the process of dying, having the things you most desired come to you in hallucinations?_ He asked himself.

But no, he wasn't dead yet… the building of pain in his stomach proved that.

"S-Sebby…" he mused, his entire view beginning to fade slightly. He managed to muster the strength needed to look at his chest, where the blood continued to pour from his open wound. He stared at it in awe… it was red. The colour he loved, the colour of passion. The colour he'd been wearing proudly for so long… the colour he'd seen many victims of death painted with. His old mistress had been particularly fond of the vibrant shade, and so was he. Yet this time…

"Sebas… chun…" he tried again, voice barely strong enough to be called a whisper, "there's… there's so much red. T-Too much." The way he said it made it sound like he'd given up all hope.

Sebastian studied him, an emotion that nobody could be sure of on his face. He had to get the reaper out of there quickly, he knew that. But he couldn't seem to make his legs move; it was as if he was stuck in that very position. "You'll make it through this, Grell," he told him confidently. "Trust me when I say that."

Grell laughed weakly, looking up at Sebastian with a small, sad smile. His grip on the tailcoat loosened slightly, and his eyes fluttered closed. "You a-always know j-just what do say…" he murmured in a daze, using every ounce of his remaining strength for his trembling voice, "I l-love you… Se-bas…chan."

That was the last thing he said before he blanked out completely. His head rested gently on Sebastian's arm while the hand that was holding onto the tailcoat dropped to his stomach, the wound colouring it a little more. All around them was silence.

Sebastian held Grell closer to him, knowing that the conversation had caused them to waste precious time. Covering his arms over to protect the shinigami, he made his way back to the carriage, just as Ciel came out of the Scotland Yard building.

"Randall is about to retrieve the body, I've informed him about the man you cornered as well. They should have no troubles locating him," he informed the butler. Sebastian nodded, not really listening to what the young Earl was saying at all. The only thing that was on his mind at that moment was the safety for the one occupying his arms.

The butler ordered the driver to make haste back to the Phantomhive Manor before stepping inside the carriage after his master.

* * *

><p>The journey back was a silent one; however neither Ciel nor Sebastian felt particularly inclined to break it.<p>

The demon rested Grell on his lap, cradling his head and body gently. He almost looked like a little child that was simply resting. But the conditions were different; though he sometimes acted like it, Grell wasn't a child, and this repose might be one he never woke up from. The thought of it sent an unfamiliar emotion through Sebastian. He held the reaper closer to him, moving the red coat aside gingerly to check the wound. He tensed slightly when he realized he had neglected to cover it… how utterly foolish of him! What had gotten in to him today; his behaviour was _not_ befitting for a servant of the Phantomhive's. Trying to shift as little as possible, he took off his already blood stained tailcoat and covered it over Grell. Hoping it would help to preserve some of his body heat and prevent the wound from bleeding, he added pressure to it.

He moved the body closer to him slowly, hoping that some of his own heat would warm up Grell. For a short moment, his hand made contact with the Death God's hair. Sebastian was surprised; it was practically like silk, however it was considerably lighter than that. It was so smooth… delicate, even. Though he hated to admit it, it was far better than any cats' fur he'd come across in his many years as a demon. He trailed his fingers through it, almost in fascination. Was this something that all grim reapers possessed, or was it Grell's own doing? He had a strong feeling it was the latter; it was in Grell's nature to care about his looks, after all. He couldn't help himself now; he continued to examine the red hair with his un-gloved hand, somewhat intrigued.

"A shame," Ciel muttered, looking out of the window absent mindedly.

The demon looked up, wondering the meaning behind the words. "Pardon?"

His young master looked at him, sighing. "We never saw Madam Red," he pointed out. "We didn't even check to see if she was home. You owe me, Sebastian. I still don't understand why you care for that _reaper_ so much."

"I truly am sorry, young master," he apologized sincerely. "I will make up for this inconvenience in due time."

"You'd better…" the young Earl muttered, looking back at the scenery rushing past. Sebastian was fine with this; it meant he could tend to Grell without having his master studying his every move. He lifted up his tailcoat and was relieved to see that the bleeding was beginning to slow down. But was it too little too late?

For a while, he was anxiously on the look-out for the thin white strips, the cinematic records, which could have appeared at any moment, just as the reaper's fight to survive reached an end. But after giving it some thought, he realized that it would take another reaper to extract them first, so there was no point in that task.

Did shinigamis even _have_ cinematic records? Like himself, they didn't contain ordinary souls… but when Grell's death scythe had injured him, he'd seen the record of his past, not as a flashback but how Death himself saw it. Would the same happen to Grell, should his life end?

Though Sebastian tried not to think about it, he couldn't quite shift the thought from his mind.

_I might as well prepare myself, for if it _does _happen_, he told himself somewhat bitterly. He surprised himself by feeling like this… what exactly was going in is his head? Why was he suddenly so willing to help the reaper? During the Jack the Ripper case, he had quite gladly beaten him… coming so close to taking his life before William had saved him.

So what was behind the sudden compassion he felt towards Grell Sutcliff?

Could it be… that the annoying, red-headed shinigami… had grown on him? Did he have a different perspective of him now that his life was hanging in the balance? Was all that hatred for him simply because of his master's orders… because of the _contract_?

"Don't be ridiculous," he told himself softly, so Ciel wouldn't hear it. That couldn't be the reason at all. It was preposterous, unimaginable. Reapers and demons were born enemies; they had been for thousands of years. How could he have even considered it in the first place? Then again, didn't it contradict his actions either way?

Why was he holding onto Grell carefully, like he was protecting him? Why was he stoking the long red hair almost lovingly? Why did he, earlier on, promise that everything would be alright? Why would he feel pain if the reaper met his tragic end?

Why did he even care at _all_?

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><p>…<strong>wow, you guys have no freaking idea how much editing this has gone through before I was even mildly happy to upload it. And for the record, I hate editing, so that wasn't fun. But anyway, special thanks to mars for betaing for me! :D<strong>

**Tell me honestly… do ya think it was OOC? I'm really worried about that for some reason, haha. **

**Also, thanks for the reviews last chapter, guys. Good to know what people think!**

**~Clide**


	3. That Reaper, Dependant

…**-wonders when she last updated this-**

**Sorry, my bad for leaving you guys for… a month, now? To make it up to you I will try to have another chapter up within the next week. So… yeah, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>The Phantomhive manor was a somewhat empty place at night.<p>

During the day it was full of possible business partners, as well as servants running around frantically to get the day's jobs finished. However, at night all was silent, save for the occasional sounds coming from the kitchen when Sebastian was usually preparing for the next day. So this particular night would seem to bare no exception; if it were a normal night.

Ciel had retired for the night long ago, and the servants had just finished up their jobs as well. The only one awake in the Phantomhive manor was Sebastian Michaelis, and by looking at the situation he was in, it was clear that he wouldn't be going to sleep any time soon. Not that he really needed it.

Grell's condition hadn't improved, but on the plus-side, it hadn't gotten any worse either. Sebastian had been carefully monitoring the reaper ever since their arrival back at the manor, and he couldn't say whether he would live through it or not. The amount of blood he'd lost would have killed any human.

But Grell wasn't human, so Sebastian had no idea how it would all play out. He'd heard rumours of shinigami only being able to die if they were injured by a death scythe, but if that was the case then surely not even Grell would go this far to get some sympathy? Perhaps he'd heard wrong… perhaps there was more than one way to kill a shinigami.

There wasn't much else for him to do but wait. He'd already stitched together the stab wound, as well as wrapped a bandage tightly across Grell's chest. He was faintly startled when he saw the red liquid staining the bandage, changing its colour quickly.

"What...?" he muttered to himself in confusion. He had stitched up the wound as carefully as possible… it should have stopped the bleeding! The bandage was merely there in case a little should occur… a _little_, by no means did he expect this much. He carefully unwrapped it, wanting to find the source of the problem. He held back a gasp when he saw the wound.

The stiches were nowhere in sight and it had opened up once again, the blood pouring out quickly. It had spread on all the skin near it, making the situation look even worse than it actually was. Sebastian's fists clenched, and he cursed; it seemed he had underestimated the reaper's defence system. Of course his natural body functions were going to dissolve and destroy the stiches; they were an unknown item, after all!

Sebastian sighed, knowing that if this continued, Grell was as good as gone. He searched him mind for a solution to the problem, however none seemed to come. He watched somewhat helplessly as the crimson liquid flowed, an unfamiliar panic washing over him. It wasn't often the black butler was in a situation where he didn't know what to do, being startled wasn't something he liked. He groaned, an answer seemingly avoiding him.

Grell was beginning to stir, the warmth of the blood catching him unawares. A small whimper was heard as it trickled down his sides; however the sound seized when Sebastian carefully wiped it off with an ungloved hand. When the contact was broken, the shinigami began to shiver once more in obvious distress. The demon watched him with curiosity, slyly touching Grell's skin once more. Again the whimpering stopped, and the resting figure seemed to be more relaxed. This strange behaviour intrigued Sebastian, though he wouldn't have admitted it. He withdrew the hand (ignoring the sounds of protest from Grell) and reached out for the damp cloth once more, deciding to clean the wound a little more before trying to stop the flow completely.

Try as he might, he couldn't help but stare at the vibrantly coloured liquid. He was beginning to understand why the redhead seemed to love it so much, the colour. It seemed so fitting to emotions, situations… everything, really. Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts, his mind continued to search for a solution… how to keep the wound together while keeping Grell calm?

The answer arrived to him suddenly. He sighed, the prospect seeming… awkward. However it seemed he had no choice for now. Sebastian carefully lifted the shinigami onto his lap, positioning him so he would be able to support his back and head with one hand while pinching together the wound with the other hand. For a few moments, some specks of blood trickled out, leaving a faint trail of red down Grell's side. After that, nothing happened. All was silent around them.

This wasn't a method Sebastian was keen on using. He would have to stay there in that very same position for an awfully long time if he wished for the wound to begin healing on its own. And even when it did, the slightest wrong movement from the reaper could easily split it open again, forcing them to repeat the painful process. With the daily tasks he had set out… things could get very complicated. He supported Grell's head with his knee, checking his timepiece; it had just hit midnight. The young Earl usually awoke at around 7:30 these days, but Sebastian had a feeling he wouldn't mind being woken up a little later for once. As far as he knew, they had nothing scheduled for that coming day. By then the wound would have begun the healing process at least, and chances are the shinigami would have awoken and being fully capable of the task himself. He could leave for a few minutes to make breakfast, wake his bocchan, and dress him couldn't he?

Like it or not, his whole plan rested on one soul assumption; that Ciel would allow him to do this. He had to obey the orders given to him; they were everything. If his young master disagreed, then by the rules of the contract he was not allowed to go against him.

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><p>One hour passed, then another. A few more after that, even. Through the spare bedroom's window, Sebastian could see the sky gradually lighting up, what was once black turning into a deep orange. Though he kept entirely still through the process, having no need to move, he couldn't deny that he felt a little bored. The only thing that seemed to keep him mildly entertained was the soft rhythm of Grell's heartbeat. <em>Thud, thud, thud. <em>It continued on at a steady pace, and despite himself, it soothed Sebastian.

The wound seemed to be healing at a faster pace than expected, which made him re-think his claim that reapers healed just as fast as humans did. In fact, many unanswered questions seemed to be forming in his mind in the long, silent hours, most of them to do with shinigami in general. There was so much he didn't know about them… his lack of knowledge was almost embarrassing.

Grell began to stir slightly in his arms, shaking his head and murmuring intelligible things. He was shaking, and the demon realized that he was colder than he originally assumed. Before he could get a cover of some sort for him, Grell's green eyes opened, looking around in a daze. It took him a few moments to adjust to the darkness of the room; however he seemed to know immediately who was holding him.

"Sebastian?" he croaked, taking one of his hands to shift his glasses slightly. He looked up at the butler with questioning eyes, and Sebastian wondered how much he actually remembered.

"Grell Sutcliff," he replied, nodding stiffly. "Do you remember any events from yesterday?"

The reaper hesitated before shaking his head, a troubled expression on his face. "No," he breathed, "but… pain… it hurts, Sebas- oh. _Oh!_" The memories seemed to come flooding back at that moment, knocking him off guard. He struggled around for a few moments, frantic, before melting back into Sebastian's arms. "I… y-you… _stabbed_," he stammered. "It hurt." He then groaned, looking down at his chest, or more specifically, where the wound was. His face coloured in confusion. "What exactly are you doing, Sebas-chan?"

"Saving your life," Sebastian replied simply. "I requested permission from my young master to let you come back here until you were healed, and he granted it. I tried stitching you up, however you somehow managed to dissolve them, forcing me into this option."

Grell nodded slightly, wincing when he looked at the bloodied bandages on the table not too far away from them. "Is that…?" he stammered, unable to believe it.

"Yes. It's your blood," Sebastian replied, cursing himself for not removing them earlier on. Grell seemed pained by the sight of them. "I can remove them, if you want." He offered.

Grell shook his head, tearing his eyes away from them. "No, it's fine," he replied in the strongest voice possible. "I was faintly surprised, is all." He sighed once again, still trying to add up the strange events in his mind. "Sebby… w-why are you helping me? You have no reason to; you're not exactly in debt any favours… except for that one day your master promised me."

The demon smiled, knowing that Ciel would have no recollection of such a deal. "You were _stabbed,_ Grell. What was I supposed to do, leave you there to die? Even we demons have more standards than _that_." He sighed, knowing he wasn't being entirely honest. "I also decided it was the least I could do, considering your condition could have been prevented."

Such a comment would have usually set the redhead into frenzy, jumping up and down at the mere thought that the demon even _remotely_ cared for him. However, given his condition, the best he could do was smile. He gasped when a shot of pain went through him, causing him to clutch Sebastian's arm tightly. He took in a few deep breathes to distract himself, relaxing his grip slightly when the pain began to ebb away. His mind was reeling, the situation not making any sense.

"Futhermore, you may be of some use to my young master and myself in the future, should we need any assistance." Sebastian added.

Grell decided to ignore the last comment, lost in thought. He was a shinigami, a God of Death. This shouldn't have been happening to him. How could a mere pocketknife have done so much damage? He looked back down at the wound, only to make a startling discovery. "Sebastian… what happened to my coat?" he asked, frowning at the absence of it. "My shirt and vest… where are they as well?"

"All are currently being washed, along with my tailcoat; they were stained with your blood, after all. They'll need some mending. Besides, I had to remove them so I could bandage your wound."

Grell felt a small blush appear on his cheeks, the thought of the demonic butler removing his clothes almost causing him to have an instant nosebleed. Apart from being in awful pain, the situation seemed almost too good to be true. Perhaps he really _was_ dead. He shivered slightly, realizing just how freezing he was with the lack of garments on him.

Sebastian noticed this."Cold, are we?"

"Y-yes," Grell admitted. "Doesn't this room have some sort of heater?"

"It's summertime, Grell. Why would we need the heaters on? Although I suppose if I were in your position I'd be slightly chilled as well. I can give up some of my own body heat… for now." Before he could understand what was happening, Grell was in an almost hug-like position with the butler, the hand that was to be supporting his back now wrapped around his shoulders comfortably. Grell sighed, snuggling further into the demon's chest. He closed his eyes, trying to remember events from the previous day. However they all seemed hazy in his mind, like a broken cinematic record. He groaned when he remembered something.

"I didn't get the soul, did I?" he guessed, looking back up at the one holding him. "Will's going to give me overtime because of that for sure! To think… I had such a short list of souls to collect, yet I failed anyway."

"I think that, given the circumstances, even _Will__iam_ would be understanding," Sebastian reasoned.

Grell shot him a wary look. "You really don't know Will at all, do you?"

"I can't say we're very well acquainted, no," Sebastian admitted.

For the first time in a while, Grell smiled softly. Somehow, it all felt so _natural_, talking to Sebastian like this. Whether it was out of politeness or not didn't matter too much to him; either way the demon was acting what could be considered _kind_. Towards him, no less.

The moment was perfect, until the burning fire returned, catching him unawares. He whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut in a poor effort to block out the pain.

Sebastian looked at him with concern. "What is it?"

"B-Burning…" Grell mumbled, somewhat delirious. "Chest… o-on fire." A tear made its way down his cheek, despite his efforts not to cry. He couldn't help it; the pain was too much. "Sebas… chan… please, help me…" For a split second, all was the same. Until Grell felt himself moving at an amazing speed, but only for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, things were exactly as they were before, except this time Sebastian was holding a damp cloth. He placed it around the wound, the coolness of it slowly eating away at the pain.

Grell sighed, shifting slightly in the arms once again. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched by two pairs of amber eyes filled with curiosity. "Better?" Sebastian questioned.

The shinigami smiled softly, nodding his head. "Yes. Thank you, Sebby," Before he could help himself, he yawned, fatigue getting the better of him.

"Perhaps you should try to go back to sleep," the butler suggested. Grell's eyes shot open, and he immediately sat up in panic. Sebastian tutted, glad that the sudden movement hadn't caused the wound to reopen. "Do be careful, Grell. If you could please refrain from being your usual flamboyant self then perhaps this wound would actually have a _chance_ at healing."

His last comments were completely ignored as Grell continued to look at him with anxious filled eyes. "W-will you leave m-me though, Sebby?" he demanded. "I n-need you here with me!"

Grell's odd behaviour always continued to confuse Sebastian, but this was the strangest so far. Did it really matter whether he was there or not? Grell would be sleeping; it wasn't as if he would know. The answer was clear as he examined the alarmed eyes. "I won't leave you for a while yet," The butler told him sincerely, giving into Grell's wishes.

"Promise me that, Sebas-chan," The reaper begged. "Promise me you won't leave, that you'll continue to hold me in your arms."

Sebastian smiled, bowing his head. He didn't see Grell's plea as an act for attention, or as a desperate attempt to win his love. He felt that the reaper genuinely wanted him there, to comfort him in his time of need. And to be honest, he couldn't find a reason not to. "I swear, Grell, that I will not leave your side," Sebastian vowed. "Until I have to prepare my master's breakfast, that is."

Grell sighed in a somewhat calm manner, visibly seeming more at ease. His eyes fluttered closed, his hands moving to rest at the spot just about his wound. "Thank you," He mused before falling into a dreamless sleep.

Sebastian held onto Grell's still body, somewhat stunned. He regained his composure quickly though, examining the wound that was still being held in between his fingers. It seemed to have healed enough, and he decided that it looked safe to let go of. His assumption was correct; the wound made no effort to split back open as his fingers lost contact with it. He knew that it needed some more time to enforce that it was kept closed completely. But so long as Grell didn't move around too much, he would be fine.

_He would be fine…_ the realization was odd, causing a huge weight to be lifted from his chest.

He hesitated, wondering for a split second whether he should use this new freedom to get some sleep himself. Demons didn't need it; however it made them considerably happier to have it. He suddenly remembered his promise to Grell, knowing that, for unknown reasons, this was one he didn't want to break.

There was only one solution he could think of.

Carrying the sleeping shinigami bridal style, he exited the room and made his way towards his own bedroom. Entering the room silently, he closed the door softly behind them, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere. He lifted up the duvet from his bed, slipping Grell inside it gently before joining him. He pulled the cover back on, deciding that it would help to keep the one sleeping warm. He then remembered his other part of the promise; to keep on holding him in his arms.

Sighing, he extended them, wrapping them around the sleeping figure and drawing him closer towards him. It was as his fingers had a mind of their own as they trailed across the reaper's skin carefully. Taking a strand of red hair, he played with it in his hands, the silky feel of it fascinating him. He leant closer towards to the reaper, lightly brushing his lips over his forehead.

Then he drew back, his mind seeming to come back to him. Just what was he _doing?_ Shaking his head, he lay down.

"Goodnight, Grell," He whispered, closing his eyes.

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><p><strong>So… OOC chapter was OOC. I apologize, I tried my hardest to make it as realistic as possible (you have no idea how much editing this has gone through).<strong>

**4:30am… why the hell am I up at 4:30am? –headdesk- Please, don't be afraid to tell me about any mistakes in spelling/grammar if there are any. Which there probably is.**

**~Clide **


	4. That Reaper, Troubled

**Damn, I was supposed to update this about a week ago. My bad, guys, but since I was in another state without internet… I think I have a pretty good reason. Haha.**

**Hmm… I can't remember if I put a disclaimer at the start of this or not. Either way, here it is; I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. Thus why I'm writing **_**fan**_**fiction.**

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><p>A speck of sunlight slowly crept in through the gap in the curtains, helping the room to become just that little bit lighter. It continued on until it rested gently on the face of a certain demon, causing him to stir slightly.<p>

Sebastian knew that the warmth was a sign for him to awake and begin preparations for that day. There was so much that had to be done, and he knew nobody else would do it… yet something seemed off. He had no will to leave the warm comfort of his bed, so for a few more moments he lay there.

It wasn't necessarily bad, but he felt… just different. He was more relaxed than usual; the night's rest seemed to have been more fulfilling than most. So he allowed himself just that little bit of extra time to enjoy it.

His peace was disturbed when something next to him _moved_. Opening his amber eyes, he surveyed the scene before him with curiosity. He was faintly surprised to find that his arms were wrapped around a sleeping figure… a somewhat familiar shinigami, to be precise.

He sighed, memories of the previous day slowing revealing themselves from the depths of his mind. For unknown reasons, he had helped Grell Sutcliff. He'd even gone so far as to _kill_ somebody to save his life. He sighed once again, deciding that he needed some more time to think everything over.

"I'd better get up…" he muttered to himself, knowing that the young master would be_ most_ displeased if it seemed like he was neglecting his duties. Carefully, he drew his arms away from the reaper, trying his hardest not to disturb his peace. Though the movement didn't seem to stir Grell, the absence of the comforting warmth did. He shifted about slightly, a frown appearing on his face. Sebastian knew it would only be a matter of time before he awoke, and he would surely panic to find him gone.

"Grell?" Sebastian whispered loudly, trying to wake the sleeping Death God.

Grell's eyes opened for a moment, however given that his glasses had slipped off he couldn't completely make out the blurred figure in front of him. "Mm…?" he responded, voice slightly slurred.

"I have to go and prepare breakfast, as well as wake my young master. I will be back soon," He paused, glancing at Grell's chest. The wound seemed to have sealed up; it now looked like it was at least a few days old. "How are you feeling?" Grell mumbled something intelligible, eyes closing once again. "Pardon?"

Upon hearing Sebastian's confused voice, the red-head let out a relaxed sigh. "Warm," He breathed, a small smile appearing on his face.

The demon chuckled softly, picking out a tailcoat from his wardrobe, as well as a clean pair of gloves, before leaving the room quickly. After all, he was already four minutes behind schedule.

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><p>"Is breakfast to your liking, young master?"<p>

Ciel chewed thoughtfully on the scone for a few moments before nodding, swallowing it soon after. "It seems to be up to your usual standards, yes," he replied.

His butler smirked inwardly, preventing a chuckle from escaping his lips. "Did you expect the quality of my work to falter on this particular day?"

"Of course not," Ciel snapped. "It was merely an observation."

"But of course."

It had been like this from the moment the young earl had awoken. Every one of the tasks he'd set Sebastian he seemed to be judging, perhaps searching for some small flaw he could point out. However, the demon wasn't going to give him that chance, paying more attention to his work than usual. Every detail was carefully added before presented to the young master, who seemed almost _displeased_ with the perfection. His odd behavior amused Sebastian slightly; however he knew the reason that his young master would be slightly skeptical.

It had started with one long, red strand of hair.

It had seemed that, as Sebastian had over slept a little, he had neglected to notice that it was attached to his shirt. While he had been oblivious to this, Ciel had _not._ And, though the behavior was odd, almost to the point of useless, Sebastian understood the Earl's intentions.

Despite how childish it was, he didn't want his butler's attention away from himself. And a distraction like Grell wasn't going to help the situation much at all. So, almost as if to assure his young master that he was still his faithful servant as always, Sebastian had everything to utmost perfection. Every precise detail, every minor-

His attention was brought back to the situation at hand as Ciel roughly pushed away the plate. "I've had enough," he announced, "take this away, Sebastian." The butler did as he was told, picking up the near empty plate and making his way out of the room. Before he did, however, he was interrupted. "By the way, how is that _reaper_ of yours going?"

"Quite well my Lord, given the circumstances," Sebastian replied. "He does seem to be faring better than expected."

"Good," was the curt reply. "He should be able to leave soon enough then, yes?"

"I'd imagine so,"

Ciel laughed silently. "How ironic; a Death God that can hardly avoid himself," He half hoped the demon would laugh as well, however he was slightly annoyed when he didn't.

"Is that all, my lord?" Sebastian asked simply. Ciel's eyes narrowed before he sighed.

"For now."

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><p>After washing the dishes and cleaning up anything that needed cleaning, (and even things that didn't, just so he would have the satisfaction of seeing his master's reaction), Sebastian decided that it would be safe to check up on the shinigami again. He entered his room silently, only to be greeted by a loud, overjoyed exclamation.<p>

"Sebby!" Grell squealed, running into the butler and catching him unawares. Before he knew it, Sebastian found himself jammed between the door and a rather energetic reaper.

"Grell?"

The one in question only giggled, backing away just a little. "Of course, who else did you think it would be?" His face fell. "You're not keeping any other guests in the manor, are you?"

Sebastian sighed, part of him dreading the trouble Grell's new energy would cause him, the other somewhat relived that he was alright. "I can see that you seem to be back to your old self, Grell," he commented. "Although I'll admit, I preferred you when you were in a more… quiet state."

Grell frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "What, when I was in terrible pain after being stabbed?"

"Precisely."

"Oh Sebby, you're so _mean_!" Grell burst out, turning away from him while letting out a little huff. "Honestly, how rude! That is no way to treat a _lady_!"

"I can't even _begin_ to state every flaw in your statement," Sebastian muttered, a smirk appearing on his lips. "At any rate, I only came here to check whether or not you were alive."

"Well… I _am_, so…" There was a tone in Grell's voice that Sebastian couldn't quite put his finger on. Uncertainty? Confusion?

"Is something the matter? You sound… troubled."

The red head turned back to him, an unreadable expression on his face. "I… I don't understand it, Sebastian," He whispered. "I just can't put it all together!"

"Understand what?" the demon asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"It… it shouldn't have hurt me," Grell murmured, shaking his head slowly. "The knife… it shouldn't have had the effect on me that it did!" He sighed, slumping down to the ground and resting his head in his hands.

Grell's words weren't making any sense to Sebastian. What exactly did he mean by 'effect'? It was clear that the knife had hurt Grell, weakening him to a point where his life was in the balance. Was something else supposed to happen instead? "Grell… would you mind explaining what you mean? I don't believe that I follow the point you're trying to make,"

"Of course you wouldn't understand. I don't understand it myself, to be honest," Grell admitted, laughing dryly. "But still… perhaps Sebas-chan will shed some light on the situation? That's the main reason why I was excited to see you, after all."

"I can only help if you answer some questions first," Sebastian replied smoothly. After receiving a quick nod from Grell, he began. "You said that it shouldn't have had that effect that it did on you. What did you mean by that?

"I'm not human, Sebastian," Grell scoffed. "That knife… the wound should have been little more than a scratch, healing within seconds… minutes at the most. Yet it caused me so much pain… I felt as if I was going to meet my end. I thought I was going to _die_! It shouldn't have happened like that!"

"…Strange," Sebastian commented. "If you don't mind me asking, how _do_ you kill a shinigami?"

"Don't get any ideas, Sebastian!" Grell hissed angrily, flashing him a look of betrayal.

"I assure you, I was merely curious," Sebastian defended. "After all, I've heard rumours that only death scythes can truly harm you."

"That's the truth," Grell replied dully. "We can _only_ be killed by death scythes… ordinary weapons should hold no competition against us."

"But that-"

"Doesn't make any sense," Grell concluded. "I _know_. That's what's bothering me!" He sighed, placing his head in his hands. Silence fell upon the two, each lost in their own separate thoughts.

Sebastian's curiosity had been piqued by this new information. His mind was reeling, the situation becoming more and more complicated whichever way he looked at it. Even if they _did_ arrive at a possible solution to the problem, it would only cause more unanswered questions to form. Regardless, he continued on, eventually arriving at two possibilities.

"Is it possible for a shinigami to become human?" he questioned.

Grell's head snapped up quickly, a look of dismay clearly plastered on it. "No!" he said in a panicked voice. "Well, at least I don't _think_ so! I couldn't… could I? Oh no, this is simply _awful_! How am I supposed to live a long and happy existence with my Sebby if I'm a mere _human_? What about my-"

"Calm yourself, Grell," Sebastian ordered. "Honestly, there's no need to get so worked up, I was only asking. Is it possible?"

The red-head hesitated before responding. "I don't know. I'm sorry," he murmured. "If it _is _possible, then it would have been the first I've heard of such a thing."

"That's only one of two possibilities I've managed to think of," the butler admitted. "The second is… unlikely, but it could be possible."

Grell looked at him, inquisitive as to what he was going to say next. "I'm listening, Sebby~!" he announced, eager to know the other possibility.

"What if the knife wasn't really an ordinary knife?" Sebastian began. "What if it was a death scythe instead?"

The reaper gasped, Sebastian's theory hitting him hard. "A death scythe…?" he repeated in awe. "B-but… _how_? That man, he wasn't a shinigami, I'm sure of it. He wouldn't of died otherwise. How would he have gotten his hands on a scythe in the first place?"

"That I don't know," Sebastian admitted. "However, we shouldn't rule out the possibility."

"No, you're right about that," Grell said firmly. "However, I'd need to see the knife before I could say for sure." Before Sebastian knew it, the reaper had risen, making his way towards his freshly washed coat. He watched with interest as Grell put it on, flicking his long red hair out of the way as he did so.

"And where do you think you're going?" he enquired.

"To investigate," Grell replied. "I want to know _how_ this happened, Sebastian! I need to know whether the knife was really a death scythe, because if it wasn't…" He trailed off, a pained expression on his face.

"Well, I wish you luck getting access into Scotland Yard,"

"…huh?"

"Only people such as my young master can get into evidence like _that_," the demon explained. "There's no way you'd have a chance… unless you're planning on killing a few people."

Before he knew it, the butler had a very stubborn reaper holding onto his arm, grinning widely. "That's why _you're_ coming with me, Sebas-chan~!" he told him. "Surely they'd let _you_ in!"

Grell's words were true; Sebastian _would_ be able to gain access to the evidence. And though he would never admit it, he was just as interested as Grell was to find the truth behind the strange occurrences. However…

"I'm not going anywhere," he told Grell in a firm voice. "It may have slipped your mind that I have a _master_, Grell. Unless he tells me otherwise, my place is here, performing my roles as his butler."

Grell's lower lip quivered. "But Seb~by!" he whined. "I can't go alone, I _need_ you! I have to find out!"

"You can beg all you want; my answer is still no."

Before Grell could protest further, a small ringing sound was heard. Sebastian sighed, turning away.

"My master is calling," he said smoothly before departing.

Unfortunately, Grell still hung on to his arm tightly, letting out a yelp of pain. "Ouch, Sebastian!" he wailed. "Oh no, don't mind me. It's not like you're dragging me not long after I've been _stabbed_!"

"You're the one responsible for your own misfortune," Sebastian pointed out, continuing on at a steady pace. "I'll tell you only once; _let go of me._"

For a moment, Grell's eyes widened and his grip faltered ever so slightly. The change of tone in Sebastian's voice made it clear that he wasn't playing a game; he was serious. Was it worth the risk, continuing on?

The answer was clear to Grell; he wasn't about to give up. His grip had tightened, and he looked up at the butler stubbornly. "No."

Sebastian's eyebrow twitched. In an instant, the reaper had been thrown across the room, landing a decent distance away from him, accompanied by a loud thud.

"Sebastian!" he cried, struggling to stand once more. "You're so _cruel_~!" He pouted, looking around for the one in question. However, he'd already left.

Oh yes… Sebastian had been serious.

* * *

><p>"You called, bocchan?"<p>

Ciel sighed, lowering the letter he was reading so he could look at his butler properly. "Yes," he replied simply. "I'm afraid that I seemed to have let Her Majesty down."

This news surprised Sebastian a good deal. Let her down? "My lord?" Ciel didn't reply, he only passed the letter to Sebastian. The demon read it through once, finding its contents intriguing. "Ah… I see," he murmured.

"As it turns out, Robert Bishop was only an accomplice to the recent murders. The one really pulling the strings is still alive," Ciel informed him. "There were three more killings last night, all of them Scotland Yard investigators, or at least people working alongside them in recent cases. The only difference this time was that, rather than being killed in a somewhat public place, the victims were all murdered in their own homes."

"I'm sure this was a surprise to the Scotland Yard," Sebastian commented. "After being assured you'd caught the culprit."

Ciel groaned, putting his hand in his hands. "Yes. The queen as well, she feels I have betrayed her trust."

"Then I'm sure you're going to redeem it, yes?"

"Of course," the young Earl snapped, looking up. "The queen's watch dog won't be beaten so easily. I'm going to catch the one responsible, Sebastian."

The demon smirked slightly. "But of course, young master, I never thought otherwise. Now, what will your first move be?"

"We're going to return to London today," Ciel announced, rising. "The Scotland Yard have prepared an autopsy for all of the victims, and it would do some good to check the crime scenes, too." He hesitated slightly before adding the next part. "I also have a feeling there's something we over looked after you killed Robert Bishop too, so I want to examine any evidence found there."

"As you wish, my lord," Sebastian replied. "I'll ready the carriage at once."

"Good,"

And, without another word, the butler took his leave. Almost as soon as he exited the Earl's study, he was ambushed by a blur of red. Before he knew it, he found himself face to face with an overjoyed reaper.

"Well, Sebas-chan," Grell said smugly, giggling slightly, "looks like we're going to investigate after all!"

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry if the chapter seemed… slow moving. I'll try my best to make the next one more interesting for you guys :) I shall take this time to acknowledge all of you who have left reviews and whatnot; thank you so much :D<strong>

**~Clide**


	5. That Reaper, Unsuited

**A/N: Gah! Why is this over two weeks late? I'm sorry for leaving you waiting…**

**Hmm… just a reminder to you all that this is set during Kuroshitsuji II. Though I didn't originally intend for this to happen, this chapter has a bit to do with Ciel's memories. So… if you HAVEN'T seen it, I apologize. It's just a reference here and there, but still… I just thought I should let you know. And besides, you **_**should**_** have seen it by now. Haha.**

* * *

><p>"He is <em>not<em> coming with us," Ciel said firmly, throwing Grell a look of pure disgust.

The reaper in question pouted, crossing his arms across his chest stubbornly. "_She_," he corrected. "And why not?"

"You'd only cause unnecessary trouble," Ciel snapped. "I see no _gain_ in taking you with us."

"_Seb~as~chan_!" Grell whined, throwing himself onto the butler. "Make him let me come! I'll be on my best behaviour, I swear! Just for you, Sebby~!"

The demon sighed, turning to the young earl. "Bocchan, as much as I hate to admit it, Grell could be of some use to us,"

Ciel's eyebrows rose slightly. "Really?" he asked in obvious disbelief. "How so?"

"I have reason to believe that this case may be more… complicated than we originally thought," Sebastian admitted. "At this stage it's just a suspicion; however Grell will be the only one who can confirm the situation

The red shinigami grinned widely, exposing his sharp teeth. Oh, he'd _known_ Sebastian would come to his rescue~! He glanced over at Ciel, who didn't look too thrilled upon learning this.

"…fine," he replied in a cold voice. "But I stand by what I said when I agreed to let you help him; he's _your_ responsibility, Sebastian. Find some clothes for him that are less… obnoxious, and quickly. I wish to leave within the next ten minutes, understood?"

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

><p>"Can I ask you a question, Sebastian?" Grell requested, studying the butler carefully.<p>

Sebastian sighed. "By all means, you can ask me the question. It doesn't mean I'll answer it, though."

Grell giggled, moving in closer to him. The demon noticeably tensed, however the reaper paid it no mind. If anything, Sebastian cold attitude made him even _more _alluring. "Why is it that you're little _master_ seems to have forgotten me?"

In the short amount of time Grell had been at the Phantomhive manor, he was sure that Ciel would have made at least _one_ comment regarding his old mistress. Something to do with the Jack the Ripper incident, about how Grell should be grateful that he was letting him stay after everything he'd done.

However, it wasn't so. There were no piercing glances, no hidden references… it was almost as if Ciel didn't know who he was! Which didn't really make sense, after all they'd been through.

So that was why Grell had really pressed the limits, when he decided that, as his disguise, he should take on a rather _familiar_ form. Changing the colour of his hair to a soft brown and tying it back with a red ribbon. Discarding his beautiful red coat for plain brown one while swapping his fashionable glasses for a wide, round pair. He altered his appearance bit by bit, until he was exactly how he used to be.

As Madam Red's butler.

Surely that would get _some_ reaction from him! But it was to no avail; Ciel merely looked at him, rolling his eyes and scoffing. "Well, at least you look a little less _obvious_ like that," he'd muttered before disappearing into the carriage. Shocked and confused, Grell had decided to sit up with Sebastian as he was the one driving. That way, he'd get to spend a little more time with his Romeo… and maybe ask a few questions.

For a while, he had teased and flirted with the demon, only to have no response. So he'd given up, simply enjoying the nice views they were going past at a steady pace. It was only then that he'd remembered the question he'd wanted to ask.

"It's not only now that I've noticed it… it was back last time we'd met as well. He didn't recognise me; you had to tell him what I was! And now… not even dressed like _this_!" Grell studied the blank face of Sebastian for a little while longer, hoping for an answer. He was slightly insulted (though not completely surprised) when he didn't get one.

He sighed, turning the other way. In all honestly, he hadn't expected a response. What had happened to Ciel was none of his business, so Sebastian had no reason to tell him. Still… he was curious.

"My young master…" Sebastian murmured in an almost sad voice, causing Grell to jump. "He has lost his memories, Grell. Memories from before the Jack the Ripper case, before he'd met you. He has no recollection that our contract has been fulfilled, nor that he shouldn't be here right now. And since that has happened… his soul is not ready to be devoured. Not just yet, at any rate,"

Grell held back a gasp, unable to believe it. Lost his memories? "That's _awful_ Sebastian!" he told him sympathetically. "And after you'd spent all that time… oh my."

"Yes, it is rather unfortunate," Sebastian was silent after that, concentrating on the road ahead of him. They were nearing closer to London now; it was only another few minutes before they would arrive.

Grell could easily tell that it was best not to say anything more, however… there was still one last detail playing on his mind. "You say that he has no memories since before Jack the Ripper?" he confirmed. "That means…?"

"He doesn't know about Madam Red's death, if that's what you're getting at," Sebastian replied. "In his mind, she is still alive. He was planning to visit her yesterday, as a matter of fact."

"Well, shouldn't you tell him?" Grell asked forcefully. "I mean… he has a right to know! She was his _aunt_!"

"You wish for him to know?" the demon asked in an amused tone. "And tell me, Grell… what would happen after that? Surely he'd want to know who was responsible for the murder of his aunt, yes?"

Silence hung over both immortals as they arrived in London. Sebastian stopped the carriage outside a small flat. "This was where the first inspector was murdered," He informed Grell.

"I see," Grell mused, glancing at the building. His nose wrinkled; it certainly wasn't to his tastes.

Sebastian jumped off the carriage swiftly, opening the door for Ciel. The young Earl stepped out, examining the scene around him. There wasn't much to look at, though. As far as most people would have been concerned, it was nothing more than an ordinary street. The fact that a murder had happened not too long ago seemed unimaginable.

Ciel's attention was brought back to Earth when a Scotland Yard inspector exited the building. "Ah, Lord Phantomhive," he greeted. "Randall suspected you'd come here at one point or another."

"But of course. Is he inside then?"

The inspector shook his head. "No, he left only a matter of minutes ago."

"Good," Ciel said, a smirk slowly appearing on his face, "I'll be able to work faster without him. Have any clues been found yet?"

"None, sir."

Ciel sighed before entering the building, Sebastian and Grell following close behind. The sight that awaited them wasn't a pretty one.

The victim was a young noblewomen of about twenty-five. Her corpse had been covered; however it didn't prevent the smell of blood from plaguing the room. A few specks of red were present on the white walls, causing Grell to look at it with interest.

Ciel noticed this and scoffed. "Come now, surely you of _all _people would be used to a scene like this!"

"Who said I'm not used to it?" Grell snapped. "I was only admiring the pretty red on the walls. It's a shame that there's not a lot of it, actually."

"Oh, of _course_," Ciel muttered, looking around the room. "Sebastian, I order to you tell me if you notice anything, understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian replied, slowly pacing the room for clues. Ciel did the same, leaving only Grell. "Don't touch anything," he added quietly.

Try as he might, the shinigami felt somewhat out of place in the situation. The way Sebastian and his young master had handled things so far made it seem like it was a well-practised routine, one he wasn't supposed to be part of. He was disrupting the flow.

Frowning, Grell found his eyes being drawn towards the young woman's body. Curiosity got the better of him, and he knelt down, slowly removing the cover from her.

"Grell," Sebastian said sternly, back still turned to him. "Didn't I tell you only a moment ago not to touch anything?"

"I'd hardly say she's a _thing_, Sebby, alive or dead!"

"The basic principle should apply to corpses, too,"

"I was only seeing what had killed her, that's all!" Grell defended. "After all… that's part of the reason I'm here, isn't it?"

"What do you-" the butler began, however he stopped soon after he realized. "…ah, that's right. Will you be able to tell by wounds alone?"

"Perhaps," the reaper answered. "But it will depend on how much damage was done. If the wound was something that ordinary weapons are not able to do, then it's highly likely that it was done by a death scythe. However… death scythe wounds can appear fairly normal too." He gingerly lifted the cover off further, revealing her chest.

All was silent in the room as Grell studied the wound, part of him unsure what to think. Sure, the wound _could_ have been caused by a death scythe. It was brutal enough, however that didn't confirm the situation at all. He'd seen cases where human weapons had caused the same amount of damage, if not _more_.

"…I can't tell," he concluded regretfully. "I'm sorry, Sebastian. I'll need to see the knife after all."

"Sebastian, what are you two talking about!" Ciel demanded, not appreciating being left in the dark.

"Terribly sorry, bocchan," Sebastian apologized. "I'd almost forgotten that you didn't know much about shinigami. But if you'll wait just a little longer, I should be able to provide you with more information."

Ciel considered the deal for a moment. "Very well then, continue searching for evidence. Don't waste any more of my time, understood?"

Grell pouted, covering the body once more while letting out a sigh of defeat. "Yes, my _lord_," he mumbled in a sarcastic tone.

For half an hour more they continued searching the whole house for clues, Ciel becoming more and more impatient with each moment. Every minute detail was carefully examined before moving on, yet no clues were found. The silence around them was heavy, and Grell didn't particularly like it.

"Urgh~!" he whined, longing to collapse into one of the comfortable looking armchairs. "This is just so _pointless_! We haven't found anything!"

"Grell," Sebastian said in a warning tone, glancing at Ciel. To his surprise, he didn't snap at the reaper.

"The criminal has left nothing behind…" Ciel replied in a distant voice, "nothing at all. There's no reason to linger here any longer; we're going to head to the next crime scene. Hopefully we'll be able to find some form of evidence there."

"Understood. We'll leave right away, young master," Sebastian answered.

* * *

><p>The next two houses investigated yielded the same results of the first; nothing was found. Aside from the strange wounds the victims had received, there were no other clues as to what could have happened the previous night. This didn't help to improve Ciel's mood.<p>

"I've had enough," he snapped after they exited the last crime scene. "Are you absolutely _sure_ you didn't see anything, Sebastian? Nothing at all?"

"As I have already told you, bocchan, I saw nothing," Sebastian replied calmly. "I apologize."

Ciel sighed. "We're going to the Scotland Yard now, then. Though they aren't certain about what type of weapon was used, they should have the approximate times of death, which could be useful. Afterwards we will head back to the manor,"

Grell had found the young Earl's frustration amusing, not that he'd ever tell anybody. Seeing his confidence come crashing down as no clues were revealed… it was a sight that was surely not seen often! So he made the most of it.

However, part of him just couldn't shake the feeling of dread. A human would never have been able to leave a crime scene so perfectly undisturbed… was a reaper really involved in the killings? If one was, it wouldn't be a good thing. It would be like Jack the Ripper all over again, but this time _he_ wouldn't be the one responsible. But on the plus side… if a reaper _were _involved, it would mean that he definitely _wasn't_ turning into a human (if it were even possible).

"Grell!"

Sebastian's impatient voice brought the red-head from his trance. "Hm?"

"Have you listened to one word I've said the entire trip?"

"…yes?"

The butler sighed. "I was saying that you need to be careful in the way you approach looking at the knife. Only you will be able to tell for sure whether or not it is a scythe, so I'm afraid I won't be of much help,"

"Oh, don't you worry about _me_, Sebby!" Grell giggled. "I'll be fine!"

Both of them jumped off the carriage as it came to a stop, Sebastian going to open the door for Ciel. As he helped him out, Grell couldn't help but allow his eyes to wonder over the alleyway next to the Scotland Yard's building. He suppressed a whimper; less than a day ago, he was being stabbed in that said spot. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Inside of him, he suddenly felt a short stab of pain. He gasped silently, biting his lip to prevent a small scream from escaping him. Placing his hand over the scar, he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

"Grell?" a smooth voice called. The Death God tensed, opening one eye meekly. Before him was Sebastian, frowning slightly. "Are you alright?"

"I…" he hesitated, wondering whether or not he should mention the pain. He quickly decided against it; surely it would be seen as an act for attention. "I-I'm fine."

Sebastian didn't reply.

The three entered the building, Grell not really knowing what to expect. In the short amount of time he had spent in the human world as Madam Red's butler, the need to visit this particular place had never arisen. He was greeted by a sullen silence, save for the sounds of tapping on a few typewriters.

Ciel strode on, obviously knowing exactly where he was going. Though a few corridors, turning a couple of corners… soon they found themselves outside a steel door.

"This is where a lot of the evidence for various cases is kept," Sebastian explained, noticing Grell's confused look. Ciel rummaged through one of his pockets before withdrawing a small, silver key. "Bocchan is one of the only nobleman to have access to this room."

"I see."

Ciel inserted the key into the lock, turning it counter-clockwise. A metallic clicking sound was heard, then nothing. Without allowing another moment to pass, he pushed the door open.

It certainly wasn't what Grell had imagined it would be like, but then again, he hadn't really given it much though in the first place. The room was full of filing cabinets, each one clearly labelled with various dates. At the back wall there were large safes, clearly used for the more important evidence. The room was also rather dark, given that there were no windows.

"The autopsy reports should be in…" Ciel paused for a moment, scanning the room quickly, "this one," He quickly approached the cabinet, opening the top drawing and pulling out three separate folders. He handed them to Sebastian while continuing to examine the contents of the drawer. He sighed in annoyance after a few seconds. "It seems like they didn't collect too much evidence in regards to Robert Bishop's death… apart from his gun and the knife,"

Grell froze slightly at those words, looking at the cabinet longingly. The knife was in there… he could find out! "Ciel," he began nervously, "would it be possible for me to see the knife? Just quickly, of course."

Ciel raised an eyebrow, but made no comment, before carefully picking up the plastic bag containing the weapon. He passed it to Grell, who opened it and gently slid the pocket knife onto his hand. He turned it over a few times, eyes widening slightly.

"Well?" Sebastian questioned.

Grell took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He allowed his fingers to trail up the smooth handle, double checking to see if he was correct. He looked back up at Sebastian, nodding stiffly. "It's a death scythe," he concluded. "I'm sure of it."

* * *

><p>The sky began to turn a soft amber colour as the time passed on the journey back to the Phantomhive Manor. Sebastian had decided to sit with Ciel inside the carriage so he could explain everything properly; how there must be a shinigami involved with the recent murders, about the creatures in general… a lot Ciel had already learnt, but he just couldn't remember. So that left Grell outside the carriage to be in control, which suited him fine. He wanted some time to think over which reaper could be involved… he just hoped dearly that it wasn't somebody he knew. But still, it didn't stop him from assessing each one of them.<p>

It couldn't be William; he was much too strict on the rules and not disobeying superiors' orders. The same went for Alan, with the added factor that he _hated_ killings like that. Eric was a possibility; however there was no _reason_ for him to do that, especially since he knew what Alan would think of him if he did. Ronald would have better things to do on a Saturday night (like partying) than a little extra reaping. As for the Undertaker… well, Grell was sure that he'd probably find the thought too amusing to be bothered taking any action.

As his mind lingered on those thoughts, he again felt the awful pain shoot through him, exactly where his wound was. He gasped, grip loosening on the reins slightly. His vision was cut off, replaced by darkness. Buzzing began to fill his ears, and his whole body, aside from his chest, went numb. Fear and panic washed over him; he had no idea what was happened, or what to do.

"H-_help_…" he managed to choke out, hands shaking. Suddenly, gentle arms tilted him upright once more, taking the reins from his flimsy grasp. Slowly, he felt the carriage being drawn to a halt, then nothing.

"Grell? Are you alright?" The red head managed to decipher this from the jumble in his mind. Slowly, his vision began to come back to him, as well as most of his hearing. The only thing that didn't change was the pain inside him. "What's going on?"

"S-Sebby…" Grell murmured, looking up at his rescuer, "m-my chest…"

There was a few seconds of silence before Sebastian spoke again. "You're bleeding, Grell," He replied.

"O-Oh…" was all the reaper managed to say in reply. His eyes opened once more, just in time to look at his chest. But it wasn't the beautiful, red colour he'd expected (and somewhat hoped) to see flowing from him. The liquid coming from the open wound was another colour entirely.

Black.

* * *

><p>…<strong>I guess you could call this a semi cliffhanger. I was going to finish the rest of the scene as planned but then I realized that this chapter was long enough (in my usual writing standards) as it was. <strong>

**Hopefully the next chapter will be updated faster than this one was, haha. **

**~Clide**


	6. That Reaper, Sneaking

**A/N: So much for updating every two weeks… -sighs- Sorry, guys. Just haven't felt motivated to write anything lately, and I knew that if I forced myself to then the chapter's quality would be absolutely awful! But I'm here now ****:)**** In case you've forgotten what happened last, Grell's bleeding black blood (alliteration much?). It was sort of a cliffhanger, but sort of not. You'll see what I mean.**

* * *

><p>The bright green eyes that always seemed to be hidden under his glasses were closed upon hearing Sebastian's words. He inhaled sharply, afterwards slowly breathing out and thinking over what he had been asked to do.<p>

Really, couldn't a lady at least get some rest? Oh no, just ignore the fact that he'd been _stabbed_ little more than a day ago, because _that_ didn't matter, did it? If the little brat wanted the case solved then of _course_ he'd go and solve it. Getting information from the other reapers could be a tricky task, though. After all, William would probably drag him straight to the other poor recipients of overtime the second he saw him, and depending on their mood, Alan, Eric and Ronald would probably help him.

But… if it made Ciel happy, then it would make his beloved Sebastian happy too.

"It's achievable, I suppose," he muttered. "Not that I'm doing this for the little runt, though. Only for you, Sebby."

Ignoring his last remark, the butler continued on. "It's the only chance we have, really. The best lead we can get is by finding out who the scythe belongs to. There _is_ somebody else we could go to, however I believe that this would probably have a better chance at success."

"Obviously." Grell's frown turned into a slight smirk and he opened his eyes, looking directly at Sebastian. "Because _you_ thought of it, didn't you? Oh, always so clever, my dear Sebas-chan~!"

Shaking his head, the demon yet again ignored the remark. "Has the bleeding stopped yet?" He questioned.

"For now."

"Do you know why this is happening?"

"No," Grell replied regretfully. "Urgh, it's simply _awful!_ I know I'm not becoming a human, but why the black blood? Perhaps I'll ask somebody while I'm in the Reaper Realm, if I have time."

"Do you think you're strong enough to go?" Sebastian asked, an odd tone in his voice. "If not, I'm sure it could wait until tomorr-"

"Ooh~!" Grell giggled, inching slightly closer. "Could it really be that Sebby darling is _concerned_ about me~?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" the butler snapped. "If you'd take your head out of the clouds for just a moment then you could plainly see… Grell?"

The one in question gripped onto his chest, eyes squeezing shut tightly. He let out a groan of pain, biting his lip.

"What's the matter? Are you bleeding again?" Sebastian asked quickly.

Letting out another giggle, Grell opened his eyes, filled with joy. "And that's where you've contradicted yourself, dear Sebas-chan! You're _always_ saying that I'm a nuisance, yet when I'm in pain…" He giggled one last time, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You can't _help_ but worry about me~! How _romantic!_"

And with that, he swiftly opened the window and leapt outside, beginning the journey to Reaper Realm. Left behind was Sebastian, unable to feel the cold breeze that was now surrounding him.

What… had just happened?

* * *

><p>It didn't take the red head long to arrive. Being an experienced reaper, it was barely a challenge for him to exit and enter the other realm, while others found it difficult. As soon as he felt the human world disappear from beneath his feet, he knew immediately that this was the part where had had to be careful.<p>

He couldn't allow himself to be seen. Not by Will or any of his little minions, anyway. There was only one shinigami that he actually needed to speak with, and with any luck he'd find him in his office.

Stealthily, he entered the building. Glancing around him nervously, he was relieved to find that nobody seemed to be about at this time of night. The floor was practically deserted. He continued on, trying to remember exactly where Ronald's office was.

_Is it two rights from _my_ office?_ He asked himself. _Or two rights from Will's? _He soon came to the conclusion that it was neither, remembering that it was a whole other section of the dispatch. Sighing, he passed countless doors until he found the one he was looking for. Office 69… why did it seem to fit Ronald so appropriately (or inappropriately)?

He knocked on the door, and was slightly dismayed when there was no reply. He tried the handle, soon discovering that it was unlocked. Silently, he slipped inside, deciding to wait for him to come back. That way he'd be safer.

The young blonde's office had always intrigued Grell. It seemed that each day there was a new love note on his desk from his latest one night stand, and today was no exception. Grell grinned deviously as he snatched the neatly written letter, reading it through. His eyebrows rose at certain parts, and he couldn't help but giggle at others. Oh, Ronnie _was_ a devil~!

His head shot up when he heard footsteps fast approaching the office. He carefully put the note back on the desk, sitting on the uncomfortable office chair. The door was flung open, and he soon met the bright green eyes of the one he'd been looking for.

"G-Grell?" Ron stammered, quickly shutting the door behind him. "What… W-What are you doing here?"

For a moment he wondered why Ronald seemed so tense at having him in his office, but the many times he'd attempted to seduce him came back to Grell. Chances are he was probably giving him the wrong idea.

"I'm not here for anything like _that_, Ronnie~!" he laughed, winking. "Not today, at any rate."

Ronald seemed to relax after that, allowing a smile to make its way to his face. "Good. Where have you been, anyway? Oh boy, Spears is going to kill you when he finds out you're back!"

"…why?"

"No idea, but he's been looking for you all of today. He didn't seem too happy about it, either."

"Uh oh," Grell muttered, a bad feeling rising in the pit of his stomach.

"If he sees you back here, well… I have a feeling you'll be in for a lot of overtime!" Ron announced. "What have you done, anyway?"

"That doesn't matter," Grell snapped, quickly becoming impatient. "Look, there's a reason I'm back. I need you to go and get a list of all the registered death scythes for me."

"Why can't you get it yourself?" Ron protested. "What am I, your slave?

"Are _all_ men this thick? All of the female workers in that department _adore_ you! They'll do anything to help _you_."

"Fine then," Ron gave in. "But you might want to wait somewhere else for me to return. I haven't handed in my report from yesterday so chances are Spears will come barging in any minute."

"Well, isn't that convenient!" Grell said sarcastically, hands on hips. "Where am I supposed to go?"

"That's not my problem," Ronald snapped, but upon seeing Grell's expression quickly added, "uh, I meant to say that… ah! Alan and Eric would have finished theirs' by now, you'll be safe with them. They seem to be in a good mood today so the chances of them reporting you are slim."

"Good!" the red shinigami said, grinning widely. "I'll see you back in their office then!" Before Ronald could say anymore, he'd disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken him long to reach their office, and he didn't even bother knocking as he bounded inside, causing both of them to jump in shock.<p>

"Bloody hell, Grell!" Eric complained, frowning. "A warning would've been nice!"

"Aw, do you really need a warning to see me?"

"If it prevents us from almost dying from shock, then yes," Alan replied, sighing softly. "What brings you here, Grell? William's looking for you, you know. Are you in trouble again?"

"So I've heard," Grell muttered. "I'm only back to get some files off Ronald, nothing more. But then again, maybe you two could help as well."

"No harm in asking," Eric admitted. "However, there's something _I'd_ like to know first."

The red head sighed. "Why do I have a bad feeling already?"

"Are the rumours true? Were you really stabbed?" Eric enquired, studying him carefully.

Grell frowned. "How do you know about that?"

"So it's true?" Alan asked in surprise, eyes widening.

"Unfortunately, yes," he admitted. "But it's not _only_ that; it was a death scythe, too."

Eric leant back in his chair slightly, a grin passing across his face. "A death scythe, eh? Looks like the rumours _were_ true. Well now, that's interesting isn't it? You know that they can be fatal, even to us, right?"

Frowning, Grell withdrew the scythe from one of his pockets. "Look, I've answered your question. What I need to know is _who_ it belongs to! Do you think either of you would be able to identify it for me?"

"I've trained quite a few students in the past, so possibly. Pass it here," Eric ordered. Grell obliged, studying his expression carefully as he turned over the scythe a few times. Seconds later, he handed it back."I know for a fact that I won't be able to tell who it belongs to," He told him regretfully.

"And why not?" Grell demanded, pouting. "You barely even looked at it! Honestly, if you only gave it a bit more time than _maybe_ you'd be able to-"

"You're starting to sound like Spears!" Eric interrupted. "Look, like I said, I know for a fact I won't be able to tell who it belongs to. This is a very, very old scythe, I can tell from a glance."

"Really?" Grell asked in amazement. "How do you know?"

"It's not in the shape of any garden tool. Only the really old scythes are like that. I've been around for a long time, but not _that_ long," Eric explained. "You'd have to ask an older shinigami about it, or look at the records to see if it's still registered to anybody."

"A really old shinigami, huh?" the red reaper repeated quietly. His face lit up almost immediately. "Well, I know where to find one~!"

"Good for you!" Eric said. "Now will you leave us to be alone in peace?"

"I'm not being that much of a bother am I, Alan?" Grell demanded, looking at the smaller reaper.

Alan looked slightly more pale than usual, and had a concerned look on his face. "G-Grell… you do realize how dangerous being stabbed by a death scythe can be, right?" he whispered. "Even the older ones! I mean… you could have died! You're not out of the woods yet!"

Alan's words brought chills down Grell's spine. "What do you mean?" He questioned urgently. "Alan, I'm going to get better, right?"

Before the brunette could respond, he gasped, clutching at his chest. A pained looks spread on his face quickly, and he collapsed. Almost immediately Eric was at his side.

"Alan!"

Grell looked down sadly; it was never easy for anybody when Alan had an attack. You could never help but feel powerless as you watched him thrash around, almost trying to fight the thorns himself. He hadn't witnessed one often, but when he did the image of Alan's tear stained face was with him for days after.

"We need to go," Eric said quickly, scooping Alan up in his arms easily. Grell could only nod slightly, unable to look at them properly. The two were just about to leave the room, but not before a small voice spoke.

"W-Wait!" Alan cried, coughing violently. Eric paused, looking at him in a confused way.

"Alan…?"

"G-Grell, take… th-that," he panted, gesturing to the book that had fallen to the ground as the attack had started. "M-Might… help."

He picked it up carefully before nodding, placing it in one of him pockets. "Um… thanks, Alan."

With one more nod from Eric, they left, leaving Grell alone in the small office.

After waiting a few minutes for Ronald, he withdrew the book once more, taking a look at its cover._ Immortals; Are they really Eternal?_

It caused the Death God to have a sickening feeling in his stomach, one that only increased as he remembered Alan's words. _You're not out of the woods yet_…

"Grell?"

His had snapped up, looking up at the one who just entered. "Ronnie~!" he said with glee, jumping to his feet. "Do you have the records?"

"Sure do!" he replied, grinning broadly. His smile faltered slightly as he remembered something. "But Spears is heading this way, fast. You'd better get going soon, unless you want overtime."

"Overtime doesn't sound all that appetizing right now, so I think I'll have to say goodbye." He decided. "Don't miss me too much, Ronnie darling, I owe you one for the records~!"

"Just… stop calling me Ronnie," the young blonde requested, handing over the records. "Then you're out of debt."

"Sure thing, darling~!" Grell giggled, hugging him tightly. "I'm sure I'll see you again soon!"

And by the time Ronald had blinked, he had already gone.

* * *

><p>Grell let out a groan, throwing the records down in frustration.<p>

He'd searched through the entire list. Twice, actually. But nothing that even_ remotely_ sounded that the death scythe in question was registered.

"Well that was a waste of time," he grumbled. He sighed, placing it back in one of his pockets. His gloved hand made contact with the book that Alan had given him, and he found himself withdrawing it carefully. "Perhaps… there's something in here that could help me." He wondered aloud, a wave of nervousness rushing through him.

Sure, he wanted to know what was happening, so he could stop it. But part of him felt that the truth would end up hurting him… was it worth it? What if it was something like the Thorns of Death, something that couldn't be cured? He would be better of not knowing. However, ignorance would only be bliss for a short amount of time.

He opened the book and began reading, completely oblivious to the fact that he was being watched by a familiar pair of amber eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter is shorter than my usual ones D: Sorry about that, but I wanted to stick to my plan for once and this chapter covers everything I intended for it to cover, so I felt no need to add in something that I'd probably regret later on. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed :P<strong>

**~Clide**


	7. That Reaper, Afraid

**A/N: Ok, just going to clear something up for a moment; I have always considered Sebastian's eyes to be an amber colour, maybe slightly darker (I don't know if others think this or if it is just my screwed up mind…probably the latter). Yes, I know in the second season they seem to be more of a blood red, therefore I should have them that colour as this story is set during then, however I'm sticking to how I saw them in the first season because in my opinion, Sebastian looks a lot better that way.**

**So as for the person watching Grell at the end of the last chapter; it was Sebastian. I'm sorry for any confusion, I didn't mean for it to be something that you had to guess, more like something that seemed obvious.**

**Now, onward with the chapter, amigos!**

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><p>He guessed it would have been late morning, when he finally awoke. However, falling from the comfy sofa he'd slept on wasn't exactly what he'd expected or hoped.<p>

"Ouch!" Grell whined, clutching his head where it began throbbing painfully. After a few moments, he sighed, looking around him in confusion. Just where was he?

Ah, he was in one of the Phantomhive's guest bedrooms. Because Sebastian didn't let him sleep in his room again. How _cruel_.

He frowned, looking around for anything that might prompt his memory a little more. The dog eared book that Alan had given him came into view, and a few more facts resurfaced. Sighing, he lift it up, noticing his muscles seemed sorer than usual.

"I can't even remember a single stupid thing this book said!" he huffed, opening it up once more. Perhaps reading late into the night wasn't all that helpful after all.

Flicking through it, he realized that he actually _was_ able to recall bits and pieces of information that he'd learnt of the previous night, which was helpful. He stopped at a page that he didn't recall, deciding to give it a quick read.

_The Thorns of Death_

_Some souls that are particularly troublesome can prove to be more hassle than just in the harvesting process. They have been known to cause a disease (mostly to new/inexperienced reapers) called the Thorns of Death._

_This happens when the soul of the one being reaped enters the shinigami for enough time to attach itself to the said shinigami's soul. From then on, the unfortunate victim has the Thorns of Death._

_There is no known cure to the illness, only old rumours and myths that have lasted throughout the ages. When infected with the disease, the reaper experiences attacks which can happen at any time. After each attack, the vengeful soul makes its way a little bit closer to the victims heart, until it's wrapped around it and causes them to die. The only way to tell the location of the Thorns is by looking from the wrist upwards, as black lines are present to show where they are._

_Not much information has been recorded, but during an attack, the shinigami can feel-_

Grell looked away, a sick, uneasy feeling in his stomach. As interested as he was to learn about Alan's disease, it was hard at the same time. It just sounded so… awful; how he could go through it on a day to day basis was beyond him. He turned the pages until he found the one he'd been interested in the night before.

_Death Scythes_

_Death scythes are the tool which reapers use to harvest the souls of the dying. It has a different effect on different creatures. Though only reapers can use death scythes to their full ability, other creatures can use them to an extent._

_Demons have been known to, in combat, use the reaper's own scythe against them. In a case such as this, the reaper will most likely die, however it depends on the severity of the wound. For instance, unless a harsh, unfixable slash is made with the modern death scythe, the victim will have a good chance at living. Their cinematic record will be shown. However, demons do not possess the ability to harvest souls as reapers do. A death scythe can also kill a demon, but again it does depend on how the serious the injury is._

_In the unlikely event that an angel gets hold of a scythe, they can (and will, if given the chance) tamper with the victim's memory. Angels have been known to die via a death scythe, but unlike demons and shinigami, this is not the only way._

_Shinigami themselves can use the scythe to its full potential, viewing cinematic records and harvesting souls. The scythe is a dangerous tool, however, as it can end any reaper's life. The older models were noted to have particular side effects, thus why a new model was created. This is the only known way to kill a reaper._

_In the rare event that has only been recorded a handful of times, when a human uses a death scythe against a reaper, it can severely affect the reaper, depending on the model of scythe. When this happens, a cinematic record will never be shown. As human's minds work in a different way to most creatu-_

From then on, the text was smudged beyond legibility, a result of the book's age. Grell huffed, throwing it down. It skidded until it stopped, covered by the table.

"Trust the only information I need to be the only part in the book that's ruined!" he stated in an annoyed tone.

The sound of the door opening brought him back to the little room. He smiled pleasantly as Sebastian entered, his gloved hand holding a tea tray.

"You're awake, then?" the butler asked, placing a china mug in front the reaper.

Grell giggled. "No, I'm fast asleep."

"How odd," Sebastian commented sarcastically while pouring the tea, soon after adding the sugar. "I could have _sworn_ you needed to be awake to hold a conversation."

"Indeed." Grell sipped on the tea, noting the unique blend of flavours. "Oh, the thought that Sebby is so kind that he would prepare tea for _me_~!"

"Don't think you're getting special treatment," the demon replied coldly. "This is the standard hospitality for guests staying with us."

"Oh, of course."

"Well then… what did you find out last night?" Upon seeing the reaper's confused glance, he sighed. "When you went back to your own realm, Grell. You did go, didn't you?"

"Oh… oh!" He rummaged around on the couch until he pulled out the list of registered death scythes. "Here you are darling, I got these for you; a list of all the currently registered scythes. I've already searched through it more than once; it's not on there. But I also discovered that it's an old scythe, therefore the odds of it being registered were slim in the first place. In order to find who it belongs to, we'd have to go and see an old shinigami, won't we?"

"Grell…" Sebastian murmured, looking through the list as he listened to what the reaper was saying. "You've actually done a decent job for once."

Grell scoffed. "_For once_? I'll have you know I'm not useless, Sebby! I can make many people happy, including you if you want~!"

He ignored the last part and continued on. "Well, it looks like we'll need to see the Undertaker, then. As I understand, he seems to be some sort of legend in the reaper world."

"Oh, he is," the red head said brightly. "I would never have picked that he was, though. And to think; I shoved him in a sack of salt!" He giggled at that, receiving a sigh from Sebastian.

"Well, I'd best contact the young master and tell him the plans for today, then. I suppose there's no stopping you if you want to come along, yes?"

"Whether you like it or not, I'm coming."

"Fine then. If you don't mind, the disguise you used last time should work nicely. Meet us outside in no more than fifteen minutes."

"Yes, _sir_," Grell mumbled sarcastically as Sebastian turned around and exit. He sighed, dreading to put back on his old butler's uniform. Really, it was just so _bland_! What his old mistress had been thinking when she decided on it was beyond hi-

He took a sharp intake of breath as another shoot of pain went through him. He bit his lip, trying hard not to whimper with the small fire seeming to go off inside his chest. Not again…

It had happened on his way back from the reapers' realm too, and just as he was resting to sleep the night before. There would be no warning, just the pain. The awful, excruciating agony.

Was this how Alan felt whenever he had an attack?

A memory flashed through his mind about something he'd read in the book. It seemed hazy, but he had the feeling he'd read something else the night before. Had he imagined it, though?

Retrieving it from under the table, he flicked through it until he came to the page he'd been on earlier. Examining the smudged text, he looked just below it.

_-__ne is able to tell whether or not these affects have been set in place by whether or not the wound is bleeding blood that black in colour for a consistent amount of time instead of red. If it isn't, then the reaper _will_ be subjected to the said affects._

Heat hammering painfully, Grell's hand trembled as he quickly unbuttoned his shirt, unravelling the bandage soon after. A cold rush went through him when what he dreaded to see was there.

What the _hell_ was going to happen to him?

"Stupid, stupid book!" he growled, throwing it back under the table roughly. "The only information I actually _need_…" His hand clenched, the reality setting in quickly. His breathing quickened, the panic beginning to form. What was he _supposed_ to do in a situation like this?

The only thing he _did_ decide on proved next to no help; he wouldn't tell Sebastian.

* * *

><p>"Great to know you've finally decided to arrive," Ciel commented, glaring at Grell as he met them just outside the manor. The reaper in question shrugged, not having the energy or will to start a fight. The black blood had scared him enough… all he wanted to do was talk to the Undertaker and leave as quickly as possible.<p>

Sebastian frowned, Grell's neglect to taunt Ciel somewhat… unexpected. He'd seemed fine earlier on, the same old Grell; what could possibly have happened to destroy his mood so suddenly?

The young earl seemed oblivious to it, only scoffing. "Fine then. But let's not waste any more time; I still don't even know the point of seeing the Undertaker. How can _he_ help us?"

"You'll see soon enough, my lord," Sebastian replied. Grell frowned, then it dawned on him that Ciel still had no idea that the Undertaker was a shinigami. This could be interesting.

Grell entered the carriage after Ciel, who turned to look at him. "Who gave _you_ permission to sit in here?"

"As one of your guests, I assumed I was allowed," Grell retorted half-heartedly, flicking his brown hair out of his face.

Ciel sighed, shaking his head. "You honestly refer to yourself as a _guest_? Don't make me laugh; you're more like a stray dog, or rather _cat_, that Sebastian took pity on."

Grell shrugged once more, deciding not to argue. "Whatever you say." He smiled slightly when he realized that Ciel's words had contradicted what Sebastian himself had said earlier. '_Don't think you're getting special treatment. This is the standard hospitality for guests staying with us.'_

"Sprung, Sebby," he whispered, knowing the demon would be able to hear him.

* * *

><p>Before the reaper knew it, they'd arrived at the little run down coffin shop in London. Ciel stepped outside quickly, not wanting to spend another second inside the carriage with the silent reaper.<p>

"Impatient," Grell muttered disapprovingly, following him.

Sebastian smirked, helping him out of the carriage. "You always point out your own faults in others first. You two are more alike than you think," he insisted. Grell raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Well, you claim he's impatient, yet he's not the only one eager to get out of here," Sebastian replied, a knowing look in his dark amber eyes. "Also, you both can't stand the sight of each other, and seem to have a slight… obsession with me."

"Pfft. Like those things matter," the disguised reaper huffed, arms folded across his chest stubbornly.

"Oh trust me, there's plenty mor-"

"Have you two finished, yet?" Ciel demanded, stepping back outside.

"I apologize, I won't allow him to distract me again," the butler promised, striding past Grell into the dimly lit shop. Grell pouted before following suit, allowing the door to slam shut behind him.

As always, the shop was dark, and had an air of creepiness about it. Grell wouldn't ever admit that it both intrigued and scared him at the same.

"Undertaker?" Ciel asked loudly. "We're in need of your assistance."

An eerie giggle sounded around them, sending shivers up Grell's spine. "Is that so, young earl?" a voice coming from one of the coffins questioned. It swung open, revealing the man grinning like a fool. "Well, you'd know well enough by now what my payment is."

"Sebastian," Ciel said, turning around and pulling Grell out of the room.

"Hey!" Grell snapped. "I don't appreciate being dragged along like a piece of luggage!"

"You're finally talking again?" Ciel asked. Grell frowned, deciding to ignore him. The kid was beginning to get on his nerves.

The two waited outside for no more than ten seconds before a loud cackle was heard from inside the shop, causing many people passing by to stare in confusion. Sebastian poked his head through the door. "It's safe to come back now, he's willing to talk."

"Very well then," Ciel replied, striding back into the shop.

The Undertaker was slouched over one of his shelves, occasionally letting out a dazed giggle. "Oh, Mister Butler, you are indeed capable of making even _me_ laugh."

"It shouldn't be that much of a challenge," Ciel muttered, "he's completely out of his mind."

"Oh, indeed I am, young earl," the Undertaker continued, advancing towards him with a sly smile plastered on his face. "I only wish you were in need of my services more often, hehe. Which does make me wonder why you're here now."

"Sebastian has the answer to that; I personally don't see why we're here."

"If you will, Grell," the demon invited, gesturing to the former butler. Grell nodded, withdrawing the pocketknife and passing it to the older shinigami.

"Sebastian, what is the meaning of this?" Ciel demanded. "Surely this man of _all_ people can't help us to identify the weapon!"

"That would be the case my lord, if he were human," The other replied, a smug smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Ciel's eyes grew wide. "You don't mean to tell me that… he's a reaper too?" After receiving a nod from his butler, he sighed. "It might help if I were informed about this a little earlier."

"Indeed I am!" the Undertaker giggled, looking up from examining the knife. "Quite a legend too, before retirement. But I'm still called in when things are particularly busy, like when humans start wars against each other. It's great for my business, too! Hehe~" His gaze turned back to the scythe as he studied it with curiosity.

The air was silent as all eyes turned to the older Death God. After a whole minute had passed, Ciel grew impatient. "Well?"

"It's a death scythe," the Undertaker concluded, grinning stupidly again.

"Don't you think we already _knew_ that?" Grell snapped. "Really, even _I_ could tell them as much! We need _you_ because we know it's an older death scythe, and you're an older shinigami! Do you know_ who_ it belongs to?"

"My, my… the youth of today are impatient. Perhaps I should make you wait a little longer, hehe~"

"Undertaker," Ciel warned. "We gave you what you wanted; tell us who the scythe belongs to!"

The Undertaker giggled, straightening up a little more. "Now, little Phantomhive, you know I wouldn't do that. To annoy you so much that you wouldn't come back to my services would be a tragedy, you know. But never in my days did I think I'd see this scythe again."

"So you _do_ know who it belongs to then, yes?" Sebastian confirmed.

"Indeed, Mister Butler. It belongs to me."

* * *

><p><strong>D: Sorry for the cliffhanger. If I completed the rest of the scene then this chapter would have been too long and ended at a weird place. My planning would be out the window, too. <strong>

**And I'm really, really sorry about the Undertaker. I've tried to keep him in character, but it seemed hard to do.**

**Also, do you know what I discovered today? 40 people are subscribed to this story, which I find awesome ****:)**** But still, I think it's weird that people can feel the need to subscribe but not leave any feedback. Think about it; how can I know what you like and dislike about the story if you don't tell me? So if you are reading this as I update, I'd really love to know your thoughts, even if it's just tips to improve. That's why I'm here after all :D**

**~Clide**


	8. That Reaper, Percieved

**A/N: :D :D :D**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I'm over 60 now, which I'm pretty darn happy with ****:)**** You guys are great ****:D**** And I did appreciate learning what you like and didn't like. Somebody requested longer chapters, so I've tried my best and this one is longer than all of them (not including my first chapter). Enjoy~**

**Again, sorry if the Undertaker is OOC. But my goodness… after seeing him in chapter 61 of the manga… . It's hard to write him as his old self after seeing so much pure awesomeness (not that he wasn't awesome already).**

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><p>The silence hung in the air for a decent amount of time after hearing the Undertaker's words. Three pairs of eyes were on him, none having any idea what to say.<p>

Grell was in shock. The Undertaker? The one _responsible_? It seemed completely absurd! Yet… well, he couldn't deny that the idea wasn't impossible. "You… you _bastard_!" he shrieked, leaping forward. His hands quickly tightened around the legendary reaper's neck, shaking him back and forth vigorously.

"W-What?" the Undertaker choked, feebly trying to pry Grell away from him. "Get o-off me!"

The red reaper ignored him completely, continuing on. "How _dare_ you!" he spat. Not long after he was pulled away, his hands held firmly behind his back.

"_Grell_," Sebastian warned, voice icy.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Ciel demanded. "Cease this at once!"

"Why should I! _He's_ the one responsible! I have a freaking stab wound because of him!" Grell protested, struggling in the hold to no avail. He glared up at the older man. "_Well_?"

"I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about," the Undertaker replied, trying to steady himself against a coffin while rubbing his neck. "Stabbed? Well that would explain things,"

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know!" the younger Death God snapped. "That little death scythe of yours almost got me _killed_!"

"And this is my fault… how?"

"W-What?" Grell spluttered. "It's _your_ death scythe! How it got in the hands of a human is beyond me, but I'm sure you're the one behind the rest of the murders!"

Again the silence hung over the four, none sure what to say. After Grell's little outburst, the look the Undertaker's face was not what any of them would have expected; it was one of pure confusion.

It was Ciel who first decided to speak. "Undertaker," he asked carefully, watching him intently.

"Yes, young Earl?"

"Do you know what we are talking about?"

"Indeed, I do not. Nobody cared to explain before jumping to conclusions and choking me."

Ciel sighed. "The recent murders. I'm sure you've had some more customers recently, all of them noblemen of sorts. Am I correct?"

The Undertaker's confused expression turned into a one of joy. "Ah, yes. Quite brutal murders too, a pleasure to take care of."

"Don't play dumb!" Grell snapped, trying to get out of Sebastian's hold once more. "You already know all the details because you _committed_ them!"

"Hasty, aren't we?" the Undertaker commented, irritation in his voice. "Tell me, what leads you to believe that _I _am the one to commit the deed? Surely I see enough death each day to satisfy my needs?"

"We believe there is a reaper involved," Sebastian began, "because the crime scenes are undisturbed. The wounds left are unidentified, however they could be from a scythe. Furthermore, the one who attacked Grell seemed to be in possession of a scythe. A _human_, nonetheless. From this we gathered that perhaps there was a group involved, at least one member a reaper."

"It is an interesting theory you have, Mister Butler," the Undertaker mused. "Quite well thought up, too. However… that does not mean that it was me."

"Oh, cut it out! Why was it your scythe that stabbed me then?"

"_Former_ scythe, actually," the legend corrected.

"…huh?" Grell asked, frowning. "But you just said-"

"I know what I said!" the Undertaker cut in. "I said that the scythe was mine, and I wasn't lying. Once a scythe, not including the training one, is given to a shinigami, it will always belong to them. However, when I _lost_ this one, some hundred years back, it got replaced."

"You lost it?" Grell asked in disbelief. "But why didn't you just summon it back?"

The Undertaker giggled, leaning forward. "Why bother? It was a perfect excuse to get a new one~"

"…I wouldn't put it past him," Ciel muttered.

"Strange," the Undertaker admitted. "I never would have thought I'd be seeing it again, or that it would land in the hands of a _human_."

The butler studied him carefully before responding. "You don't seem to be lying, either."

"That's because I am not, Mister Butler. I don't see a reason to, especially not with such an _exquisite _lot of murders such as these," He giggled once more. "I'd actually be proud to be the murderer."

"With talk like that, it's hard _not_ to picture you as the one responsible," Grell mumbled, looking away. "But then again, this _does_ explain why the scythe isn't registered."

"However, this does leave us with a bigger question; who's really behind it? They can't be human, though," Sebastian added. "Because no matter how conscious they are, humans do leave evidence behind. Only an immortal could be so careful, so _precise_."

"It does seem that way, yes," Ciel agreed, sighing. "However, we've been lead into a dead end. We'll be taking our leave now, Undertaker. I apologize on behalf of his behaviour." He added, gesturing to Grell as he exited the shop.

"All in good time, little Earl," the Undertaker announced, nodding sheepishly.

Sebastian let go of the reaper's arms, following Ciel out. Grell cleared his throat, glancing at the Undertaker embarrassed. "I… er, I'm sorry for strangling you. It's just-"

"I wouldn't pay it much mind, if I were you. You have more serious matters to worry over, I'm sure," He replied, a devilish look on his uncovered features. "Will you be in need of a coffin anytime soon?"

"W-What do you mean?" Grell asked uncertainly, hand trembling slightly. How had he known?

The legendary reaper strode forward, allowed his fingernails to brush over Grell's cheek lightly. "Oh, young, impatient reaper… you simply _reek_ of death," He whispered, sending a wave of shock through the other. "I noticed it as soon as you entered the room, and being this close, well… it's almost _unbearable_."

Grell looked down, a sickening feeling in his stomach. "What's going to happen to me?" he asked quietly, dreading the answer.

The grin only broadened on the older Death God's face. "Heh… but why should I tell you? It might prove too much for you to comprhe-"

"Please, just tell me!" Grell cried. He bit his lip, looking at the other reaper in fury. Why did he have to speak only in riddles? He wasn't going to tell him, but he was _scared_. He could feel the tears threatening behind his eyes, but he wouldn't allow them to escape. No… he wouldn't be seen as weak. Not in front of the one that would enjoy it most.

"The truth, Grell?" The prodigy began. After receiving a small nod from the other, he sighed. "I really don't know. It could be anything, hehe~" He paced around him slowly, occasionally tugging at a strand of brown hair. "You know, I think I preferred it when it was red. But like your blood, it's different, isn't it? Things aren't always what they seem..."

"You really don't know?" Grell confirmed, voice barely above a whisper. "Surely you've seen cases like this in the past?"

"I have."

Grell felt a sharp prick on his cheek, and his hand immediately rose to cup it in shock. Next to him the Undertaker was examining his hand, another interested look on his face. He held up a finger, where the younger reaper recognised a crimson colour; his blood.

"Indeed, your blood is different,"

"But… it looks the same as usual!" Grell retorted, feeling an odd sensation as the small scar on his cheek began to heal.

The Undertaker giggled. "Are you sure about that?" He extended his hand, and Grell realized with a start that it _was_ different. To a human the change would have been undetectable; however his blood was of a darker colour than usual.

"What does it mean?" Grell whispered, feeling lightheaded.

"It's spreading. It does seem that your fate is decided, young one. I have treated few shinigami like you in the past-"

"But you should know!" Grell cut in. "You should be able to tell me what's going on… what's going to happen to me?"

"What makes you think that each case is the same? It really does depend on the circumstances… but some things already seem decided for you, thanks to your new _friend_." He glanced out the doorway, where Sebastian was helping Ciel into the carriage. "Others, you'll have to wait and see."

The red reaper frowned, wondering what the situation had to do with Sebastian at all. "You know, I really wish you'd give me a straight answer. Though you might not know_ everything_, you're not completely clueless!"

"Well, I perhaps I _would_ tell you more. But really, where's the fun in that? Being strangled isn't fun either. But as things are, I think I rather like the situation~"

With another giggle and stroke on the cheek, he retreated into the storeroom. The former butler swallowed once more, taking in a shaky breath.

"Sadistic bastard…" he muttered, wiping his eyes. Really, the day just got worse and worse! Turning around to leave, he crashed straight into Sebastian. "Ah~! Sorry Sebby," he apologized quickly. "Didn't see you there."

Sebastian stayed silent for a moment, his eyes firmly fixed on Grell's. For a split second, they swapped to their natural demonic pink. "What was that about?" he enquired coldly.

"What was what about?"

"…nothing. Let's not keep the young master waiting any longer, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"Show me the book, Grell."<p>

It wasn't a request, or asking of permission. It was an outright order, and with Sebastian's eyes the colour they were, Grell was not willing to disobey. However…

"What book?"

There was no harm in trying to cover up the situation, right?

Sebastian fixed him with an icy gaze, an intelligible noise coming from his lips. Before Grell could register what was happening, he had been backed against the wall roughly. "The one you were reading last night, that you received from the Reaper's Realm." Sebastian growled, his face mere inches away from Grell's.

The red reaper, now back in his true form, hesitated slightly. Ever since they'd arrived back at the manor, the butler had been quiet, only speaking when needing to. But once Ciel had retired for the night, he'd immediately joined Grell in one of the guest bedrooms, leading them to their current scenario.

Sebastian noticed the hesitation, letting out a tight sigh. "Fine then,_ I'll_ find it. If I'm not mistaken, it's under the table."

"If you knew where it was, then why the hell did you expect _me_ to find it?" Grell snapped.

"You didn't want to get it, which confirms my theory that you're hiding something," Sebastian replied, stepping away. He quickly retrieved the book, flicking through the pages until he found the one he was looking for.

The shinigami turned his eyes away, unable to look at Sebastian's expression as he scanned the contents. What would happen once he found out? He would probably tell Grell to leave, to get out of his sight. After everything he'd done for him… it was a complete betrayal of trust. What had he been _thinking_?

After Grell was sure that Sebastian had finished reading, he looked up at him nervously. At a first glance, the butler looked calm and collected, as usual. But as Grell continued to examine him, he noticed more. There seemed an air of… something else around the demon. He couldn't tell exactly what it was, but either way it wasn't like his usual presence. He seemed tense; his hand was clenched a little too tightly around the book, and though a human would never have noticed, he was shaking slightly.

"Grell," he hissed, "show me the wound."

Again, the reaper hesitated. He still couldn't tell exactly what emotion Sebastian was feeling, but he soon decided that it would do no good to argue. Silently, he quickly undid the buttons to his shirt, afterwards unwinding the bandage. He closed his eyes, unable to look.

The air around him stung the slash slightly, but it was nothing in comparison to the pain he'd felt that morning. He felt cool fingertips touch the wound gently, resting to a stop right at the edges. It seemed to sooth the stinging, and Grell dared to squint through his glasses, gasping at what he saw.

Though the stab wound itself stayed the same size, the area around it had been given a dark tint to it, seeming to have spread. It stretched across his stomach, causing the body that Grell was once so proud of to have a haunted look. Unable to bear the sight of it any longer, he looked up at the first thing he saw.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

To Grell's surprise, Sebastian didn't sound furious, not even annoyed. If the reaper hadn't of known better, then he would have suspected that the tone in his voice was _hurt_. "I… I don't know," he mumbled. "I thought that it might go away, but after talking to the Undertaker-"

"I heard the conversation well enough, Grell."

"…that's predictable. Eavesdropping isn't very gentlemanly, though."

Sebastian frowned. "I don't recall ever referring to myself as such."

The red reaper giggled slightly, afterwards a shot of pain travelling through him. The same, taunting pain.

But the more he concentrated on it, the more he realized that it _wasn't_ the same pain as last time. Or perhaps it was, but he just didn't study it enough the previous cases. Though it didn't help dim the agony when his thoughts were on it, he realized that it wasn't just being contained in the area of the wound any longer. It was around it as well, and he could have sworn that it was reaching _away_ from it, slowly attacking at a larger area.

"Can you hear me, Grell?" the demon's silky voice echoed. It bounced back and forth through Grell's mind, for a long while not making any sense at all. Slowly, he felt the pain die away.

Another moment passed before he realized he was shaking violently. Grell's eyes flew open in shock, and he let out strangled gasps. "He's right…" he chocked, looking up at Sebastian fearfully.

"Who's right?"

"T-The Undertaker," Grell replied, forcing himself into the reality. "It's spreading, I can feel it." Not knowing exactly what to expect, he looked back down at his stomach.

The skin around the gash had turned a horrific black, the area surrounding it a darker tinge. There was no denying it; it had grown in size since a few moments ago. It almost reminded Grell of the black lines on Alan's wrists, the proof of the Thorns of Death. However, the two cases were so different; Alan knew the fate for him. It wasn't a good one but either way it he knew for certain what would happen, whereas Grell had no idea.

Sebastian noticed the difference too, looking at Grell with concern.

…concern?

It was only then that Grell realized just where he was. Sometime during the cruel experience, he'd been scooped up into the butler's arms, just like he was two nights ago.

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered, not thinking of his words at all.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I understand."

"Helping me, Sebby," Grell clarified. "Honestly, you could have just left me to die. Wouldn't you have preferred it that way? I know I'm a nuisance, which you can't stand, but… you don't have to pretend to care."

The muscles beneath him tensed, and Grell sighed, glancing up. Sebastian once more had a blank expression on his face… or that would have been the case to a human. Again, Grell could tell there was something different. "You don't think I care?"

"Why would you?"

The butler sighed, shaking his head. "Sometimes, Grell, you can be a complete and utter idiot. Of course I care."

"You… do?" Grell asked in disbelief. He felt his jaw drop when the butler nodded. "But _why_?"

"When I watched you before my very eyes, the knife going through you, I panicked. I killed a man before my master ordered me to, and even though we didn't know that the weapon _was_ a scythe, I was still scared of losing you. I thought that that would impossible before that very day, especially since I've almost been the cause of your demise before." He paused at that, frowning. "However, I was under orders then, I had no choice. Whether I liked it or not, I had to try to the best of my ability to put an end to Jack the Ripper. "

Grell looked up, amazement in his eyes. Were the words he was hearing true? "Sebby," he began, "do you think that… if it weren't for the contract and your orders… you'd grow to appreciate me?"

The demon hesitated before replying. "Perhaps, if you'd stop assaulting me at every opportunity."

"I'm not sure if that would be possible," Grell laughed. "You're too-" He stopped talking as another jolt of pain began. This one wasn't as awful, however he knew it would never be something he could get used to. He let out a sigh when it subsided a few minutes later.

"Are you alright?" Sebastian enquired, grip tightening around him. Grell didn't talk, feeling another lump in his throat. Not again… "Grell? Please answer me."

"I'm scared, Sebastian." He admitted, a lone tear making its way down his cheek. "I don't know what's going to happen to me, or when. But if it's spreading through me, then does that mean that I'm going to _die_?"

The butler was again silent for a few moments before replying. "Grell, I think it's best you get some sleep. You might feel better in the morning."

"Doubt it," Grell sniffed. "That's what I thought last night, and the night before. I _thought_ it was over, but as it turns out, it's just the beginning. I wonder if there's a cure."

"Well, you never know. Since there are no leads on the case, it may be possible that I can take some time off to investigate your matter. Only if my master allows, of course."

"You would do that?" Grell asked dubiously. "But _why_?"

Sebastian sighed, pressing a gloved finger to Grell's lips. "Haven't you already learnt from tonight? I care, Grell. Now please, get some sleep."

"Don't wanna sleep." The reaper protested quietly.

Sebastian sighed. "What will it take me to make you get some rest?"

"Just…" Grell paused, wondering if it would be stretching the limits to ask what he wanted. "Let me… stay here, until I actually _am_ asleep. Afterwards you can put me outside for all I care."

Sebastian smirked. "Agreed then. I hope you don't mind waking up in the garden, though."

"Fine by me. Just let me stay here for now… please," Grell requested, closing his eyes.

"…Okay."

* * *

><p><strong>Waah! This chapter was so hard to write : Trying to keep Sebastian as his usual self… D:**

**But I'll try not to worry about that and begin writing the next chapter, when things start to come together. Please, cross your fingers that I don't forget anything (there are quite a few holes to fill, and if I miss one I'll feel like a complete idiot).**

**~Clide**


	9. That Reaper, Accused

**A/N: Wow. Judging by my planning I have 6 more chapters (including this one and my epilogue) to go. Interesting… I could have sworn I had less.**

**Anyway, the plot thickens from here on. I apologize for my poetic license when dealing with what's happening to Grell; even if Yana Toboso decides to make him become stabbed in the manga (which is entirely possible, given what's happening at the moment) there's a very low chance of the deed been done by a human. Therefore I can be inventive and put my own ideas out there :P**

* * *

><p>"I still don't understand the case, Sebastian," Ciel muttered, pushing away the empty plate. "We've examined every crime scene, there are no witnesses… yet even if there <em>was<em> a reaper involved, surely it would have been the Undertaker!"

"Yet it's not him," the butler replied, picking up the empty plate swiftly. "His behaviour yesterday was proof of that. We've been lead into a dead end."

"Indeed," the Earl murmured, annoyance in his tone. "Truth be told, I honestly would have preferred it to be him, that way the case would be finished by now." He sighed wearily, picking up the newspaper beside him. He scanned the front cover, mismatched eyes widening. "Perfect, the Yard's not going to be happy. More murders last night, however it doesn't seem the press are too precise on the details."

"Actually, my Lord, there was a phone call from Sir Randall this morning," Sebastian announced. "There were two more murders last night, the same pattern as usual."

"I see. I don't suppose there was any evidence behind?" Ciel asked dubiously, not so much as glancing up from the article.

"Actually, there was."

Ciel rose immediately, looking at his butler with a stunned expression. "What?"

"It's not much, but apparently something _was_ found at the crime scene this time around," the demon responded.

"Why did you wait to tell me?" Ciel demanded. "I should be over there right now! Who _knows_ what that idiot has done with it!"

Sebastian smirked. "But, had my lord known, he would have been too excited to eat his breakfast. I can't have that happening."

The young master shook his head, turning away. "Prepare to leave immediately, Sebastian."

"Of course. Would you prefer it if Grell accompanied us, or stayed here?"

Ciel frowned, halting his footsteps. He turned his head ever so slightly, just to get a glimpse of the demon. "After his behaviour yesterday, I thought that coming along with us would be out of the question." He stated.

"I was merely checking, my lord. I doubt he'd be able to go in his condition regardless,"

"…it's that bad, is it?" Ciel muttered.

"It would seem that, for once, I really don't know what else to do. Shinigami aren't really in my area of expertise. Were he a demon-"

"But he's not," the Earl said coldly. "Nothing will change that fact. Get your head out of the clouds, Sebastian." He watched carefully out the corner of his eye for a reaction, and was satisfied when he saw the butler bow.

"If it pleases my lord, then I shall," Sebastian replied. "If you'll wait just a moment then I can make preparations to leave."

Silently, Ciel had left. Sebastian followed suit, quickly making a detour. There was one person he needed to speak with before leaving.

He strode through the hallways of the manor, wondering just why he was going to visit Grell. The more he thought about it, the more he saw that there was really no need for it. If he awoke and found them gone, he'd understand where they were. Not to mention that this was just wasting more time.

None of these thoughts stopped him as he opened the door to the bedroom Grell was occupying.

The first thing he noticed was how quiet it was. That surely meant that the red haired shinigami wasn't awake yet… but the silence was unnerving. Sebastian stopped in the doorway, listening for any signs of life.

There were none.

Sebastian frowned, listening even harder. A cold shiver went through him when he realized that Grell wasn't breathing. "Oh no…" he murmured, quickly making his way towards the lifeless figure. He looked so peaceful… but was he really alright?

The butler knelt down, studying him carefully while checking to see if there was a pulse. To his surprise, there was one.

_He was still alive. _Perhaps it wasn't too late to save him? Before he could do anything, a pair of green eyes sitting below a pair of red glasses opened, staring at him in a confused way.

"Sebby?" Grell mused, yawning widely. The demon stared at him in shock, completely speechless. Grell noticed this. "Something the matter?"

"But… you," Sebastian took in a breath, "you weren't breathing!" The red head frowned, sitting up slightly.

"Wasn't I?" he asked in a somewhat bored voice."Terribly sorry, I should have tried harder not to do that."

"Wait… _pardon?_" Sebastian asked, knowing something was wrong.

Grell sighed."Surely you haven't forgotten? We reapers don't _need _to breathe. Not when we're sleeping, at least. We can do without air when we're awake, but it makes us feel rather uncomfortable." Sebastian looked at Grell, the memory coming back to him. Yes, he had mentioned something like that before. "Without air, we can't talk. It also helps to breathe when we're in pain, or when we're in shock. Makes it easier, you know."

"Is that so," Sebastian replied simply, finding the facts interesting. He sighed. "Really, Grell. You should be more careful with these sorts of things; what if one of the servants had of found you?"

"I doubt they would have noticed I wasn't breathing in the first place," Grell pointed out. "It would take somebody like us to pick on something so minor."

"I suppose you're correct," Sebastian admitted. "But that doesn't matter. The reason I'm here is to inform you that the young master and I are going out to London."

"Another murder?"

"It would seem so. There was some evidence left behind this time though, which will hopefully be another lead,"

"Great! When can we leave?" Grell asked, jumping up. He winced soon after, slumping back onto the bed.

Sebastian avoided his gaze. "I highly doubt you're in any condition to come with us, Grell."

"In other words, he doesn't want me there?" the reaper questioned.

"Really, what did you expect? After what you did to the Undertaker he's not going to be willing to take you anywhere."

"My goodness, Sebby!" Grell announced. "You make me sound like a poorly trained _animal_!"

Sebastian smirked, rising. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's how the young master is seeing at the moment."

"Ugh! How _rude_ to treat a lady as such~!" Grell huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "Really, that little brat doesn't know who he's dealing with! The _nerve_!"

"Speaking of him, I'd best be going now," the demon replied. "Just stay here, and I ask you to not destroy the manor while we're gone."

"Fine," Grell said stubbornly. He frowned, then looked at his hand. "Um, Sebby? You wouldn't have seen my glove anywhere, have you?"

"Your… glove?"

Grell nodded, showing him his hands. One of them was bare, while the other had the familiar black item covering it completely. "I could have sworn I had it last night," he muttered.

"I haven't seen it, but I'll tell you if I find it anywhere," Sebastian told him. He sighed. "My master is growing impatient."

"Then leave, before he throws a tantrum," Grell teased, winking. "I'll see you later, my dear Sebas-chan~! Tell me if you find anything new!"

"I might. Only if the manor is in one piece when we return."

"Deal."

The butler gave a quick nod before retreating out of the room. Grell closed his eyes, and before long he heard the expected sounds of the carriage making its way out of the estate. He sighed, flopping back down onto the bed.

Try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread within him. In the back of his mind, he had a blurry image. It was similar when he was trying to recall a dream; the more he thought about it, the less it made sense and held any meaning.

But why was it bothering him so much?

When he concentrated on it, he couldn't help but feel like it was a memory, even if it was slipping away. Leaving nothing but a woman's shrill shriek behind, echoing back and forth.

Should he have told Sebastian about it? He shook his head, pushing the thought away. No, it didn't mean anything. It was probably just a dream anyway, a stupid, pathetic dream. Dreams held no meaning. Still, it continued to pester him.

Grell sighed again, trying to distract himself. He let out a small laugh when he realized that Sebastian had put him in a proper bed, rather than outside like he'd said he would.

This warm thought distracted him from the dread, allowing him to feel content as he was pulled into sleep once more.

* * *

><p>"Well, I doubt this 'evidence' will actually be of any use to us," Ciel muttered, looking down it in annoyance. "Really, it could belong to <em>anybody<em>!"

Randall sighed in annoyance. "It's the only lead we've got!" he defended. "Really, you shouldn't automatically assume that it's useless."

"I don't see why not. There'd plenty of people in London who own the exact same one!"

"But that's the thing! Right now they'd only own _one_! All we have to do is look at the list of suspects and see which one has the other half, so to speak, and _only_ the other half!"

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "List of suspects? And just what suspects do we have, Sir Randall?"

The inspector glared at him for a moment before looking away in defeat. "None."

"Exactly. This means we have nobody to use this evidence against. It doesn't have any hair on it either, and the material wouldn't allow it to have any fingerprints on the inside. Therefore, it's useless," Ciel concluded.

"Only if you think so," Randall muttered. "I'm sure there'd be some way to use it."

"Well, why don't you take it along with you to ask people on the streets, then? I'm _sure_ they'd find a way to assist you."

The inspector frowned, shaking his head. "If you're done here, then please leave so the Yard can investigate. This isn't a place for _children_."

"I'll be on my way soon enough," Ciel responded. "However, there's no harm in looking at the scene while I'm here."

"Just don't ruin any evidence!" Randall snapped, leaving to search another room.

The Earl sighed. "Honestly, what evidence is there to ruin in the first place? It's pathetic, it won't help us get any closer. They'd be thousands of them in London; I own multiple pairs myself." A few moments passed, and Ciel looked up at his butler, noticing the absence of a reply.

Sebastian was looking intently at the object that had caused the feud between his master and Randall, a frown crossing his face. "Though I hate to contradict you, my lord, Randall may be correct."

"Sebastian," Ciel began seriously, "are saying that you have an idea of who this belongs to?"

The butler paused for a split second before nodding. "I believe I may know who this belongs to, and if I'm correct then this whole case will fall together rather… unexpectedly."

He didn't want to believe it. But the one person who was left to suspect, that the signs were beginning to point towards, was the one he'd never even considered in the first place.

* * *

><p>"Ack!" Grell gasped, awaking in fright. He moved to turn his head, but found he couldn't. As a matter of fact, he couldn't move much at all. He was being restrained.<p>

In panic, he threw his leg up, pleased to know that he could. With a well-aimed kick, he managed to loosen the hold slightly. It gave him enough time to get a short glance at his attacker's face.

"S-Sebastian?" he stuttered, confused.

In another instant he was held back once more, both legs pulled behind him painfully. He gasped, once again trying to get out of the hold. He stopped suddenly when Sebastian's arm was knocked into his chest, causing a ripple of pain to surge within him. He hissed, staying still while waiting for it to die down. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, voice weak. "This is no way to treat a lady, I assure you!"

"Is he restrained, Sebastian?" Ciel's voice rang from outside, in the hallway.

"Yes, my lord. It is safe to come in."

Grell's eyes widened. "W-What?" he chocked. "Safe? Why wouldn't it be?"

The young Earl entered the room, his eyes firmly fixed on Grell. "You really thought you could get away with it, _reaper_?" he asked. "Well and truly? You're in the house of the Queen's Watchdog; of course you were going to get caught!"

"W-What? Get away with what?" Grell demanded. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"Choosing to play dumb?"

"Given that I have no idea what you're going on about, I wouldn't draw conclusions like that," Grell replied coldly.

"…Fine then. If you insist on claiming to have no idea, then I suppose proof of your involvement in the recent murders is needed," Ciel replied. He gestured to Sebastian, who for a quick second loosened the hold. Before the reaper could do anything, he felt something being pulled from his hand, then he was back to being restrained. He looked down in confusion, realizing that his remaining glove had been taken.

"Hey!" he protested. "Give me my glove back!"

Ignoring him, Sebastian passed the glove to Ciel. "I believe it's a perfect match, my lord."

Grell watched in a mixture of confusion and awe as Ciel withdrew something from his pocket. "Oh~! That's my other glove!" he said in excitement. "I _knew_ you'd find it! But where?"

There was a long silence between the three, Ciel and Sebastian drinking in the new information they'd just been told. "The crime scene, Grell," Sebastian replied, voice void of emotion.

"...what?" Grell squeaked. "How… how is that_ possible_? No… no! This has to be a mistake!"

"That would be hard to believe," Ciel responded. "After all, you've just told us that the glove is yours."

"But… all reapers are given the same sort of gloves!" Grell defended. "Of course I was going to assume it was mine, given that I was missing one!"

"If you were missing one, then it makes it even more likely that it _does_ belong to you."

"Search the manor!" Grell begged. "My real one _must_ be here somewhere! _Please_!" He bit his lip after that, realizing how pathetic he must have looked. Letting a child manipulate him so easily... how had it happened?

"Sebastian's already looked," Ciel responded. "No other black glove in this manor belongs to you; they either belong to myself or one of the servants."

"But," the reaper began, helplessness swallowing him. "No! It hasn't been me, I swear! What reason would I have to do such a thing?" He began struggling, causing the hold around him to be tightened.

"I don't know why you've been doing it. But with evidence like this, it would be improper of me to let you go,"

"Give me a chance to prove that it's not me!" Grell pleaded, forgetting all about his image. This kid was _serious_. "I'm not the one responsible! I'm being framed!"

"My lord… perhaps it would be a good idea to test him," Sebastian stated. "If it isn't him then surely evidence will tell us so?"

Ciel scoffed, irritated. "Fine. It will please you to know that I haven't informed the Scotland Yard of any of this yet, therefore we won't have them lurking over our shoulders. Sebastian, I want to you watch Grell in the next few days, every moment. If he is the one responsible, then the murders will stop, won't they? If he isn't, then they will continue. Of course, this is all assuming he is working as an individual and not part of a group. But this test will prove useful regardless."

"Alright then!" Grell cut in before Sebastian could answer. "I'm not the one responsible, and I will prove that to you!"

"Very well then," Ciel replied, heading for the door. "But know this; if it does turn out that you _are_ the one who's been committing these murders, well… I don't take kindly to people abusing the hospitality of the Phantomhive's."

"I haven't abused _anything_," Grell spat, glaring at him.

The earl sighed, looking back lazily. "We shall see."

* * *

><p><strong>And another short chapter from me. Sorry! D: But I'm still trying my hardest not to destroy my planning. Here's to hoping I don't completely screw up the next chapter… no, I'm serious. A lot of things to pull together… this is only the beginning.<strong>

**Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful reviews guys! I've hit over 70 now, yay! It's great to know what you think of my work, good or bad.**

**~Clide**


	10. That Reaper, Guilty

**Err, I started writing this way too late. First I got preoccupied and watched two Death Note movies, then Lord of the Rings comes on TV D: Fate is trying to distract me.**

**Then fanfictiondotnet decided to be stupid and delete every single " and ... I had in this document, which wasn't fun. But it's fixed now! :D**

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><p>Waiting quietly wasn't one of Grell's strong points.<p>

Just having to sit there for long periods of time made him uneasy. Not really the act itself, but the circumstances around it. If he had to be quiet, then did that mean he was alone? Or worse, with somebody he couldn't talk with? Was he waiting for something dreaded, like his trial for Jack the Ripper?

This time, it was both. He cast a quick glance at the other occupant in the room, which was Sebastian. He slumped down further in his chair when he noticed the butler was still staring at him. Two amber orbs that never ceased to look away, yet it wasn't with an adoring gaze that Grell had always dreamt of. Sebastian eyes were so full of… well, the reaper couldn't even put his finger on it. Was it annoyance? Perhaps plain anger?

…a possibility of betrayal?

Thinking back over it, things had changed so much over the past four days. Things had happened that he otherwise would have thought impossible, being stabbed by a human one of them. But the fact that had really struck him as amazing was that Sebastian had actually shown him kindness.

Grell would never have picked it, given that he'd been glared at intently for the past few hours now. Yet it had happened; the demon had helped him out in his hour of need. Without him, he'd be dead. They'd set out, trying to find the one responsible for the murders. They'd grown _closer_. Then that stupid brat had to go and accuse him of being the one behind everything, jamming a knife into the understanding and, dare he say it, _bond _between the two.

He himself had changed too. When he first saw the butler in London, he'd been ecstatic. His usual, flamboyant self. But after the stabbing, something about him had become different. And he knew it wasn't entirely because of that, either. Having Sebastian so close, actually talking to him without instantly being told to get out of his sight, seemed to be having some effect. He felt relaxed, calmer. Grell could actually lay aside some of his excitement for once. Was it because of this that the demon didn't seem to find him utterly repulsive anymore?

Although, whether or not Sebastian had actually believed him was still unknown.

Grell sighed, deciding to speak for the first time since Ciel had left. "Do you think I'm the one responsible, Sebastian?" It was just a simple question, but he still dreaded the answer.

Sebastian looked up, his expression softening the smallest amount. "Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know," Grell responded weakly.

"You tell me, Grell. What do you think I believe?"

The reaper hesitated before replying. "I… I really don't know. Judging by the way you've been looking at me I'm guessing you think I'm the murderer."

"Are you?"

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember something like that, Sebby," Grell replied bitterly, followed by a dry laugh. "I do wonder how my glove got there, though."

"Yes… so do I," Sebastian murmured.

Grell closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax a little more. Now that the long silence was over, he felt a little more at ease. Until he realized just how hungry he was, as his stomach let out a rumble of protest.

Sebastian rose from the other side of the room. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Huh?" Grell asked, frowning. "Where are you going?"

"To get you something to eat," the butler replied. "When's the last time you ate?"

The red head furrowed his brow. "Now that you mention it, I don't think I've had a meal all day."

"Wait here, then," Sebastian ordered. "Don't even _think_ about leaving this room, I'll know if you do."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Sebby~!" Grell giggled.

The demon rolled his eyes, stepping outside the room and closing the door. Grell leant back in the chair, allowing himself more time to think.

What if the murders stopped? He'd be marked the culprit for sure, and any chances he had with his Romeo would be gone. What would Ciel do with him? Allow the Yard to take him? Or something completely sadistic? Grell couldn't really tell with the kid… he was just as predictable as his ledger. Anything could happen.

What would happen if the Dispatch found out? He'd be fired; it would surely be the last straw William would put up with. His glasses would be broken beyond repair… his beautiful death scythe too.

He groaned, fear growing in his stomach. If the murders _did_ stop, it would be the end of him. He shook his head vigorously. "No!" he said firmly. "Stop preparing for the worst! How would the real murderer _know_ you've been accused?"

Grell looked up as Sebastian entered the room again, carrying a tray with him. He caught a faint scent of something delicious and his mouth began to water. "Something smells _good_," he said in a day dream voice.

"It's not much, only some of what was left of lunch. I couldn't risk going for too long."

"I'm sure it will be delightful," Grell assured him.

After the meal (which Grell thoroughly enjoyed), a thought occurred to him. "Sebby?"

"Yes?"

"Before, when I was wondering how my glove came to be at the crime scene, you said that you wondered as well,"

"I did," Sebastian confirmed.

"Does that mean that you believe me?" Grell asked, biting his lip anxiously. His green eyes scanned the butler's face, again scared to know. He'd already asked the question, but somehow he hadn't ended up getting an answer.

"Yes, I do."

Grell face lit up immediately, a grin beginning to show. "Really?"

Sebastian nodded. "Something about this whole affair seems odd. For instance, not even you're incompetent enough to leave something like a glove behind, especially in a situation like this."

Grell poked his tongue out. "You're so mean, Sebby!"

"I never said I was nice," the butler responded swiftly.

The reaper giggled, looking out the window. The sun had barely begun to set, but already he felt tired enough to sleep. "Stupid wound…" he muttered.

"What about it?" Sebastian asked, concern masked poorly.

"Everything," Grell responded, clearly irritated.

"Anything in particular this time?"

The red head sighed. "It makes me tired, a lot more than usual. It's barely even late yet I'm beginning to consider sleeping. It's been like this ever since the stabbing."

"Odd," Sebastian remarked. "But I'm sure it will pass."

"Providing it doesn't kill me, that is," Grell said. His tone was happy enough, but when he allowed time for the words to sink in he realized just how true they were. "In a way, my fate is set, isn't it Sebby?" he asked, voice dull. "I'm either going to be found guilty of these crimes and be punished by your little master or the dispatch. _Or_ the wound will end my life as a reaper. Hey, perhaps both will happen."

Sebastian looked up. "You don't know for sure, Grell. Maybe neither will."

"I suppose. But really, what are the odds of that?" Grell pointed out. "But I'll admit, it hasn't been as bad today. It's almost like it's giving up."

"Perhaps it's a good sign? That you're healing?"

Grell smiled weakly. "I can only hope. This fatigue is bothering me, though."

"There's a cure for it, you know," Sebastian said.

The reaper laughed. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep, with all this worry."

"You're almost like a child. That's what you said yesterday, and you were asleep within minutes."

"Was I?" Grell asked. "Oh well, yesterday was different. I only had one worry then, now I have two. And…" He stopped, looking away embarrassed.

"Yes?"

"Yesterday you were holding me, too." He whispered, looking pointedly at the ground.

Sebastian sighed. "I wouldn't test your luck."

"It was worth a shot," He said simply, making his way towards the bed in the corner of the room. Kicking off his boots lazily, he lay down, closing his eyes.

But sleep wouldn't come. He waited and waited for even the tiniest hint, but despite how tired he was he was right; there were too many worries on his mind. "This isn't working," he announced.

"Try harder," was the simple reply.

"It's easier said than done, Sebastian!" Grell complained, sitting up. "You don't have anything bothering you, so you could sleep fine. I don't expect you to understand."

"Firstly, I don't _need_ to sleep. And secondly, if I were to, I'd probably be having just as much trouble as you." Sebastian retorted from his place by the doorway.

The reaper shook his head. "I doubt it."

"Suit yourself."

"I will."

Sebastian sighed. Grell's complaining wasn't going to make the night any easier for either of them. "What will it take to make you be quiet?"

"How about telling your young master that I'm _not_ responsible, so he shouldn't keep me locked up like an animal?" Grell suggested. "Or maybe finding a way to get this stupid wound healed."

"Anything that's _possible_, given the circumstances?"

"…you really shouldn't be asking me this question," Grell muttered.

"No, I probably shouldn't."

"Because I know you won't agree with any of my requests. If I were any other person, then maybe. But I'm me; a disgusting, overexcited _reaper_." When Grell finished, his tone was bitter. He instantly knew how unreasonable he was being. Sebastian had helped him over these past few days, shouldn't that have been enough? But why had he been helping him, anyway? Out of pity? Boredom? Maybe the bond that Grell had thought was beginning to appear was nothing more than an illusion. Why _would_ Sebastian care for him?

Grell turned away, keeping his sullen expression hidden. He wanted to add more to his outburst, but what good would it do? He'd done enough. Grell lay back down, trying not to make the small rocking of his body noticeable.

What had he just done?

Without warning, his body was shifted over slightly. Grell looked up, confusion plastered on his face. "Sebastian?"

The butler ignored him, sitting down. "Let's start from the beginning," Sebastian decided. "You referred to yourself as disgusting. Perhaps at one point I _did_ think of you in that way. However, it was a hasty judgement; you're not. To the second point, you're overexcited. That is undeniable. But over the past few days you have shown that you have a calmer side as well. Maybe when I thought of you as disgusting it was because you were just too energetic for me to handle. And lastly, the fact of you being a reaper isn't your fault. But in the past, I've actually managed to work alongside beings like yourself. It's only those like your superior who I don't like, those who automatically see us as dirty beasts. You're quite the opposite."

Grell stared at him, wide eyed. This was probably the most unexpected thing he imagined Sebastian to do in reply to his outburst. He was thinking about being flung across the room, or maybe just a stony silence. Definitely not this. "You're… you're telling the truth?"

"Yes," Sebastian replied, swinging his legs up onto the bed.

Grell couldn't help but smile. "You know, I think I'll be able to sleep better now," He whispered, daring to be bold and place a quick kiss on Sebastian's cheek. "Thank you."

Again the silence surrounded the room, but this time Grell didn't mind. It was comfortable, inviting. Even more when he felt Sebastian lay down completely beside him. He longed to be able to stretch his arms out and hug the butler, to kiss him properly.

But for now, that would be good enough.

* * *

><p>The burning of his wound was what woke Grell up. He gasped, sitting up and placing his hand over it. Given that it hadn't hurt at all the day before, the pain was unexpected and cruel.<p>

He managed to relax once it died down, allowing himself to remember everything. There was something annoying him, and he knew it wasn't that today could possibly be the day he'd be found guilty. He frowned when he realized that he was soaked from head to toe in water.

"Huh?" he said in a daze, shivering slightly. It wasn't the water that had woken him up, and there wasn't much on his bed, only where he'd been sleeping. Where had it come from?

The confused reaper looked up to see Sebastian sitting in an armchair a few feet away. "Er, Sebby? Where did the water come from?"

Ignoring the question, the butler spoke, tone blank. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine, I guess," Grell replied, frowning. "But what does that have to do wi-"

"There was a murder last night," the butler interrupted. "A young woman, Eve Marshal."

Grell's eyes lit up. "That means I'm innocent!"

Sebastian studied his face for a moment before shaking his head slowly. "No, I'm afraid it doesn't," he responded.

"W-What?" Grell stuttered. "Sebby, what's going on? You're… you're acting strangely."

"It was you, Grell," The butler said regretfully.

Grell laughed, but it came out shaky. "What? Don't be silly, I was right here! There's no way I could have done it!"

Sebastian shook his head once more. "No, you weren't. I watched with my own eyes."

"Sebastian, stop it," the red head ordered, heart sinking, "this isn't funny."

"Unfortunately, this is no joke."

The reaper stared at him, a cold feeling sweeping through him when he realized that Sebastian wasn't lying. The butler's expression showed no hint of a joke. "No…"

"Grell, listen to m-"

"NO!" the reaper cried, running to the furthest corner of the room. "No… no! I can't be the one responsible! You were seeing things! I would remember if I were responsible! Why would I have come back here? I'm not a killer!" He sank to his knees, trembling. Choked sobs came out of his mouth. "Not again…"

"You weren't yourself," Sebastian said softly.

"W-What?"

Sebastian rose from his seat, carefully approaching Grell. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only thing shinigami can't change about their appearance is eye colour, right?"

Grell nodded. "It's a fairly common fact."

"That's one thing that's lead me to believe that, though it was you in body, you yourself weren't in control of your actions," Sebastian announced. "Your eyes were black."

"B-Black?" Grell squeaked.

"Not only that. Everything you did was different. Whoever it was tried to sneak out, but made too much excess noise, almost on purpose. Had I really been asleep I would have woken up. Your running was clumsy; you slipped a few times. And your death scythe was poorly used, like you were an amateur."

"W-What happened afterwards?"

"You began to run back to the manor, faster than I expected. You kept on shielding your face… I think you knew I was following you. I was trying to catch up before you returned, that way I might be able to confront you. But you got back inside before I did, and when I finally found you you'd collapsed on the bed. Your eyes were open for a split second, and I saw that they were green once more. It would have been no use it waking you; whoever it really was had gone."

"Stop," Grell whispered, a sick feeling rising in his stomach. "Please, just stop." He hung his head, trembling. "So it was me, then. I'm a cold-blooded killer, just like I was with Madam Red. Is that why I'm soaked?"

"You're not the only one. I was too, when I was following you. It began to rain rather hard," Sebastian explained.

How could the demon be talking about this so easily? Grell was a murderer; even if he wasn't in control of his actions, it was him. He'd taken the lives of innocent people once more. It was Jack the Ripper all over again, except this time there was no accomplice. No Madam Red, who he was doing it for. It was just him, alone.

Tears began to fall on the wooden floor. Grell couldn't control the shaking that was plaguing his body violently. He probably looked pathetic, he knew that. But right then the broken shinigami didn't really care. "What's going to happen now, then?" Grell choked. "You're going to tell your little master of course."

"Yes. I have no choice," Sebastian muttered. "He might turn you into the Yard, or order me to do something else. I'm not sure."

"If it's the Yard, then I'm sure I'll be fine. It's you I'm scared of."

"I'm hardly surprised."

"Go, then."

"Excuse me?"

Grell sighed, looking up. "Go tell him. I can't stand to sit here and wait any longer."

"Very well. I'll return momentarily." Sebastian replied. Grell looked back down until he'd heard the footsteps die away after the locking of the door.

He shakily stood up, taking a look at himself in the mirror on the wall. He frowned disapprovingly when he saw that his makeup had smudged beyond repair, and that his hair had become ruined in the rain. He did his best to fix both, giving up shortly after. Who cared how he looked; he was going to die anyway.

The kid was smart; there was no way he'd hand him over to the Yard, knowing all too well that he'd be able to escape. So that left three options; the Dispatch would somehow get involved, Sebastian would be ordered to do something that probably wouldn't be nice, or the wound would kill him.

Just the thought that he really _was_ the murderer made Grell feel awful. He hadn't even known he'd been doing it, which made it even worse. There were no memories of anything.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door swung open, and Ciel strode in. Grell couldn't bring himself to look at him properly. How pathetic.

"It seems your game is up," the Earl announced.

The reaper shrugged, finding no words to contradict him. "I suppose you'd be right."

"Given that Grell wasn't in control of his actions, wouldn't it be better to find a way to cure him rather than punish?" Sebastian suggested.

Ciel shook his head. "That's nothing more than a theory; he could be lying," he pointed out. "You said so yourself that you know next to nothing about reapers, so how could you cure him? If he is being possessed, it makes him even more dangerous because he isn't in control of his actions. Anything could happen."

"My Lord-"

"Enough, Sebastian," Ciel snapped, taking a step towards Grell. "Reaper, you've made a mockery out of the name of Phantomhive. It would be stupid of me to allow the Yard to arrest you; you'd escape easily. Therefore, I have only one choice." He turned to his butler, placing a hand over his eye-patch. "Sebastian, kill him."

Grell's heart jumped, and he rose quickly. He threw a panicked glance at Sebastian, whose eyes had widened for a moment. "Is that an order?" he asked.

Ciel glared up at him. "Fool," he spat. "_Everything _I tell you to do is an order; never forget that."

Grell tried to take a step back, but there was nowhere he could go. He looked up in fear at Sebastian, who bowed to his master.

"Yes, my Lord."

"No…" Grell whispered, scaling the wall. Terror gripped him as the one he trusted turned towards him, taking a step forward while taking off his gloves. Before he knew what he was doing, Grell had run for the closest exit. The sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the manor, and for a moment he was flying through the air. He landed on the ground roughly, throwing him off balance. He risked a glance back, and he saw the demon leap out of the window after him.

Grell could think of nothing else.

He ran.

* * *

><p><strong>-gets slapped for yet another cliffhanger- What was I on when I did my planning? I'M SO SORRY D: But on the plus side… um… next chapter will be… eagerly awaited? I dunno. <strong>

**So now you know that Grell is responsible for a whole lotta murders he doesn't even remember committing. Have fun thinking about that :P**

**~Clide**


	11. That Reaper, Betrayed

**A/N: -cries with happiness- You have no idea how much your reviews have meant to me, guys. Thank you so much! Have an early update :P  
><strong>

**So… I've considered a lot with this chapter. Re-read it, changed it, changed it back, come back a few days later, hated it, changed it again... I think I'm satisfied now though. I hope you like it! (-is slightly nervous-)**

* * *

><p>Grell could think of nothing as he sprinted across the landscape, aware that he was closely followed by Sebastian. He didn't have to look back to know that the demon was out to kill, but it scared him. It was literally a life or death situation; one wrong move and he'd be gone. But he couldn't run forever, especially not with the wound becoming more painful with each step he took. How much longer would he last? He needed to get somewhere safe.<p>

"The Reaper Realm," he muttered, forcing himself to pick up the pace a little more. It wouldn't take too long to get there, the only problem was if Sebastian caught him beforehand. He began to feel the human world slip out from around him as he concentrated, losing sight of it. He was so close; he could almost see the dispatch building in front of him. He was only a moment away from getting there when he lost view of his surroundings_ too_ much; he didn't notice the sharp drop of the land he was running on. With a yelp, it caused him to slip, breaking his concentration. With dismay, Grell could no longer see the Reaper Realm.

"Dammit!" he cursed. He rose, noticing a looming shadow above him. Grell didn't need to look up to know who it belonged to. Beginning to run again, he could hear Sebastian's footsteps closer behind. In the moment it had taken him to fall, the demon had gained a lot of ground.

Soon enough Grell found himself in a wood-like area. Running was become harder; he had to dodge different objects, making him lose momentum. Sebastian didn't seem to be having any trouble, given how close he'd advanced. Grell knew there was no way he could concentrate enough to get into the Realm without crashing into something.

Suddenly, he was forced to come to a grinding halt. The area in front of him was cut off completely, a drop with sharp rocks hanging beneath. He hesitated, trying to assess the risks. If he jumped and slipped, he'd surely be knocked out. He didn't like his chances.

He turned, desperate to find another way. It was too late; Sebastian was there behind him. In one swift movement, he'd been thrown against a tree trunk, head hitting it with a sickening crack. Grell looked up in fear at his attacker, whose eyes were glowing.

"Well done, Sebas-chan," he whispered. Catching the demon by surprise, he aimed a kick, sending him backwards. "But I can't let you kill me, I'm afraid." Regretfully, he summoned his scythe.

"Fighting back, are we?" Sebastian asked, stepping forward.

The reaper shook his head. "No, only for defence," He replied, holding it up in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you, Sebastian."

The butler shook his head, leaping forward. "What if I hurt you? What would you do then?" The roar of the scythe sounded, and Grell swung it, causing Sebastian to sidestep.

"Nothing. It means you win," the reaper replied sadly. He waited for Sebastian to make the next move, however he did nothing.

"You've given me a vital hint, Grell," he said softly after a moment's pause. "If you won't hurt me, then that weapon of yours is near useless." He began moving around him quickly, causing the red haired reaper to lose sight. Added with the throbbing of his head, Grell became confused with what was going on. Before he knew what was happening, he felt a sharp tug on his scythe. Somebody was trying to take it.

In surprise, he turned around, engine roaring. A few drops of red splattered around him, but it wasn't his blood. Grell's eyes widened when he realized that it was Sebastian's.

The butler's guard was down, and something within Grell used it to his advantage. He backed him up against the large tree, strength rushing through him. He looked at the wound on Sebastian's shoulder, caused by his scythe. For a crazed second, Grell thought about driving the rest of it though him, which would be the end of the demon. He winced as the idea went through him, and before he knew what he was doing, he'd dropped his scythe.

Grell fell to his knees, looking down. "No… I can't hurt you," he whispered. "Not anymore. I won't murder another person, not again." A tear made its way down the side of his face, dropping to the ground. "Kill me, Sebastian. Just do it now, and quickly." He began to shake, another tear coming. "_Please_," He choked.

Grell never looked up to see the expression on the butler's face as he picked up the scythe slowly. A hand stroked his cheek, wiping away the remaining tear. Grell heard the screech when the scythe was brought to life, then no more.

A smirk crossed the reaper's face, and the scythe suddenly vanished from Sebastian's hands and returned to his own. "Foolish demon," he muttered. Sebastian's eyes widened; it was not Grell's voice.

He kicked back the other man, forcing his face to be shown. Just as he suspected, his eyes were black. "I had a feeling I'd be seeing you sooner or later," he remarked coldly. "Would I be right in guessing that you're Robert Bishop? It seems that your death wasn't enough to truly get rid of you."

Robert laughed hollowly. "Yes, it would seem that way. Strange how that happened." Sebastian jumped back as the scythe was carelessly thrown his way. "I think it had something to do with when I stabbed this reaper with my knife, or as you've been calling it, _scythe_."

"Interesting," the butler commented, jumping over him. "You've heard our conversations."

Again, Robert smirked. "I've been hidden away inside this body even since I stabbed him. Something happened, something I can't explain. Though I had control of my proper body," He tried to strike at Sebastian once more, "I seemed to have this one, too. I'm with him every moment of the day. I feel his pain, I hear his thoughts. But only when I want to do I actually gain control over him."

"I see," Sebastian murmured, stopping the scythe with the palms of his hands. Looking up at the black eyes, he realized how much this was like Jack the Ripper. He and Grell had fought then, and there was one particular part when they were in this very same scenario. However… this wasn't Grell. In some aspects, that fight was fun. Both parties were willing to harm to the other, and he'd be lying if he said Grell's comments hadn't made it interesting.

This fight was not one he was willing to win or lose, and the person in front of him wasn't Grell, but somebody who had just taken over his body. It looked like him, apart from the black eyes. But the personality was completely different, not one that suited the reaper. "So that's how you've been going about murdering this whole time," he continued. "Things seemed to have turned out well for you, then."

"Oh, indeed. But I found that I was quickly running out of names." Robert sighed, pushing the scythe down hard. "Thinking back over it, I really could have just gone and retrieved the rest of my files. I didn't consider that option at the time. So I left his glove behind. I knew you'd recognise it, given that you're not _human_."

"You left behind the glove to frame Grell... then why did you return just a night later?"

Robert stopped, staring at the butler directly. "I remembered… just one more name." he whispered. "One more person who's been working alongside our traitor of a queen this whole time. She had to be eliminated… Eve Marshal."

Sebastian threw the scythe's blade away from his hands, making Robert take a step back. "That's why you were covering your face when I followed you, so I wouldn't see your eyes. You thought that I'd assume you were Grell. You meant for me to notice you, so you made noise when leaving the room. It was further proof to convict him."

"You're sharp demon, I'll give you that. You did notice my eyes, which was a bit of a nuisance, then the little traitor ordered you to kill this reaper. I thought that, despite his pathetic _love_ for you, he'd fight back. Turns out he's weak, couldn't bring himself to harm you." Robert laughed again, afterwards kicked in the stomach by Sebastian. The man hissed in pain, holding his chest where the wound was.

Sebastian wondered if Grell could feel that pain. He actually missed the bright red reaper, _his_ bright red reaper. This one was just plain irritating.

"But you seem to have feelings for him, too!" Robert continued, straightening up. A twisted grin was plastered on his face, and he revved the scythe. "Really… I thought immortals would be better than this. Instead I get some demon playing a butler and a gender-confused death god."

Robert tried to back Sebastian into a corner again, but the demon was smarter this time. As the fight had continued, he'd begun to notice the flaws in Robert's tactics, like when he swung to largely with the death scythe, leaving himself open. He was going to use it against him; all he needed to do was distract him for a moment.

"How did you know you were a reaper? Surely you didn't believe us when we were talking, around the time when you should have died?" he questioned.

Robert tutted, shaking his head. "You're right, I didn't believe you. Nonetheless, you both scared me. There was you, who seemed to appear out of nowhere when stopping me from stabbing the boy. Then this 'Grell', who speaks and acts like a woman. I didn't understand any of it. But that night, when I snuck out of the room as you were sleeping, I realized something. Despite being wounded, I was _stronger_. I had abilities my human self could only _dream_ of; being able to sneak in and out without being noticed, running was faster and easier… it was a dream. I found I was able to summon this wonderful weapon, and with this realization, I knew that my months of planning could be completed in a few days." He smirked. "It was genius. I had all the information about the investigation, too, as I lay in wait. It couldn't fail."

"Yet your life was at risk," Sebastian commented, noticing that Robert was about to attack.

"Well, yes. All because of this poor excuse for a reaper." He swung the scythe, "…_Useless_." and Sebastian took his chance.

He leapt forward, grabbing hold of Robert's vest. "He's not useless," he hissed before throwing the man backwards. The scythe slipped from his hands, just as he went over the side of the ledge. The last Sebastian saw of his face was when it had an expression of rage and shock as he flew through the air.

He stepped forward, looking down. Grell's body lay on the rocks below, knocked unconscious from the fall. A trail of blood trickled down the side of his head, but he was breathing. His scythe lay beside him, unscathed.

Carefully, Sebastian climbed down. He glanced at the death scythe, considering for a moment to end Grell's life there and then. But he held himself back; not here on the rocks. Somewhere else… _anywhere_ else.

He picked up Grell's lifeless body and scythe, making his way up to where the two battles had been fought. One was with Grell, who couldn't bring himself to fight properly, and the other with Robert, who had all but abused the reaper's body.

Sebastian fists clenched at the thought.

This wasn't Grell's fault, none of it. In the end, the culprit had always been Robert. He'd just used the reaper's body to his advantage, and Grell would have to take the punishment. It was cowardly and pathetic on his behalf.

He continued walking, knowing there must be a better place, though he didn't know where he was going. Maybe this whole process was to just buy more time, because in the end, he _didn't _want to kill him. Not after everything that had happened. Absent mindedly playing with Grell's hair, he reached a part in the woods that seemed… peaceful. There were a few varieties of flowers blooming, not to mention the even amount of sun that crept in through the gaps in the tree branches.

If Grell were conscious, he would have approved.

Gently, he lay down the body and scythe. A small frown crossed Grell's face, and his eyes fluttered open. "S-Sebastian?" he mumbled. "W-Where are we? What's happened to my head? Why didn't you kill me?" Trust one of the questions to be about death.

"It was Robert Bishop, Grell," Sebastian explained. "He's been the one possessing you. Just before, when you gave up fighting, he did it again. I don't know what happened… he seems to have gone after falling from the ledge."

"Why didn't you kill me after he went?" Grell asked. "I was ready, I think. I-It would have been easy for you..."

Sebastian shook his head. "Not there, Grell. Somewhere better, nicer. Somewhere you can rest peacefully for the rest of eternity."

The reaper could only nod his head weakly. "It… it is nice here," he admitted, scanning his surroundings.

Sebastian sighed. This was it. Grell wasn't fighting; he didn't have the strength or will. He was where he was supposed to be. So why couldn't he bring himself to just go through with the order given?

Grell seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Sebby, please," he whispered, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "While I'm happy, and not dreading it."

"Understand that this is an order, Grell," Sebastian replied. "I… I did ask my master to try and find a cure, rather than punish you."

A small smile graced the reaper's lips. "Yes, I know. Thank you, Sebas-chan, for everything you've done."

The butler nodded. "You know," he murmured, holding Grell's shoulders. "I think I might actually _miss_ that name."

Grell lift up a hand to stroke Sebastian's cheek slowly, eyes closing. "I'll miss saying it. I'll miss _you_."

Sebastian couldn't take it any longer. That last sentence hit the demon harder than he would have cared to admit. Without thinking, he slammed his lips against Grell's, not knowing or even caring about the consequences.

The person in his arms quivered, part of him not knowing what was happening. When his mind cleared a little, he had to stop himself from yelping. Was this part of the process of dying, having the things you most desired come to him in hallucinations? No, this wasn't a dream. He could feel the demon's mouth on his, _kissing_ him. Grell's gasp was lost, muffled by Sebastian, and he opened his eyes wide.

With what was left of his remaining strength, he reached his hand up to the demon's neck, pulling him closer in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Sebastian obeyed, slowly responding to Grell's wishes. One of his hands travelled until he found Grell's, holding it tightly.

Neither knew how much time passed. Minutes, seconds… it didn't matter. But Sebastian knew he'd have to fight temptation and leave soon. After a few more moments, he gently halted the kiss. Moving his head away from Grell's, he studied his face. The reaper looked at him in shock, almost as if he couldn't believe it. Then, a content smile crossed his face.

"I love you, Sebastian," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "I know I'll die happy."

"That's… that's all I can hope for."

Sebastian gently lowered Grell to the ground, picking up the abandon scythe. He started the engine, hating the loud noises it made to the otherwise peaceful environment. He pointed it downwards, then with one thrust…

It was done.

He lifted it up, not bearing to look at the splatted red that was everywhere. Grell's little gasps of pain were like separate daggers into his own chest, each filled with guilt. He looked down, where two green eyes were staring at him intently, both tear filled.

"I'm… I'm sorry," he muttered, turning to leave. As he did, he heard a little giggle of laughter escape Grell.

"_Thus with a kiss, I die_… it's i-ironic, isn't it Sebastian?" Grell mused. "The o-only quote that really fits this situation is by Romeo and not Juliet. It's a shame, r-really."

"I suppose it is," Sebastian replied, beginning to make his way back to the manor.

Grell was wrong. The quote suited just how the Phantomhive butler felt at that moment.

* * *

><p>All around him was silent, save for the sounds he himself was making. But what could Grell do? Death was <em>painful<em>. It felt like there was a creature inside of him, slowly tearing him apart. If the pain the previous wound served was bad, this was excruciating. He wished the reaper in charge would just come and harvest his soul already.

He couldn't help the tears that fell. It wasn't due to physical pain, but emotional. The thought of everything that had happened… and ending like this. If only he and Sebastian had had a little more time, time to continue whatever could have happened afterwards. He'd finally caused the butler to care for him, even if it was just a little. He'd never be able to truly experience the benefits.

The only comfort he had was that the liquid coming out of his wound wasn't black, like he'd been expecting. It was his favourite colour, the beautiful red he admired. It continued to seep out of his body, staining everything it touched.

However… there seemed to be a little too much of it for his liking.

Grell took in a breath, trying to sit up. He felt like he was being pushed straight back down, his efforts were useless. "S-Sebastian…" he choked, tears beginning to fall once more. "P-Please, _help me_!" He called a few more times before his daze got the better of him. It was no use; Sebastian would be back at the manor by now. Even if he could hear him, he wouldn't help like last time.

He felt worse than when he'd originally been stabbed by Robert. The situation overall was less favourable; there was nobody there this time. Previously Sebastian had been by his side, but now he was the cause of the wound itself. It hurt more, knowing this. He felt_ betrayed_.

Not far off from where he was, he began to hear voices. They were approaching fast, and they belonged to two people that Grell recognised. Finally… it would all be over.

"Holy shit!" Ronald exclaimed, coming into the clearing. His green eyes were wide with shock at the sight. "Oh my God… Grell!" He quickly ran to his side, checking his wound.

"Honestly, Sutcliff," William began, appearing behind him. "First you go missing for days, then your name appears on my ledger _again_ and we find you here! That blasted _demon_."

Grell shook his head, chest tightening when his superior insult Sebastian. "Don't worry Will. As of now, you w-won't need to put up with me anymore."

"What are you going on about, Grell Sutcliff?" William asked, leaning down. Grell was confused to see that he had a bandage in his hands.

"You're… you're here to reap my soul, a-aren't you?" the red head asked. "I'm going to die!"

Ronald let out a shaky laugh, patting Grell's shoulder lightly. "Not if we can do anything about it, Grell," he announced. "We're here to help you."

* * *

><p><strong>Um… does this qualify as a cliffhanger? Haha, the chapter was supposed to end just after Grell gets hurt by the scythe, so consider this an improvement, if you will. I think I would have gotten hate mail if I left it there xD<strong>

**And I hope you didn't mind me referring to the possessed Grell as Robert. If I had of just said Grell, I dunno… it would have seemed weird. Because it wasn't Grell, not really.**

**The kiss scene... -hangs head in shame-  
><strong>

**~Clide**


	12. That Reaper, Saved

**A/N: Holy-… I'VE REACH OVER 100 REVIEWS HERE ON FANFICTIONDOTNET! :D Gah, thank you so much guys. I'm so grateful for all your feedback, I couldn't ask for better readers! **

**Now comes the bad news… after this chapter, you'll have to wait a bit longer than two weeks until the next one. Please don't hate me! It's because of NaNoWriMo, I'm working on an original story, so this one doesn't take priority. Since I'm ahead in it though, I might finish NaNo before the end of November so I can write the next chapter of this story. We'll see.**

* * *

><p>Grell could hardly believe what was happening. Just a moment ago he was lying down patiently, <em>waiting<em> for death to come to him. But now, he was with William and Ronald, and a chance of his survival was present. It should have been a good thing; he should have been grateful for it. Then why did his heart feel heavy as the events unfolded before him?

"Before that demon comes back and does more damage," William began, unravelling the bandage, "go to the dispatch, Ronald. Alert the infirmary that Grell Sutcliff _will_ be coming soon, and they best be ready when he does. The wound's deep. Also, take his scythe with you."

"O-Of course, sir," Ronald replied, standing. He gripped the scythe, surprised at how heavy it was. How on Earth was Grell able to _use_ it? "I'll be as quick as I can."

"Excellent," William stated, not looking up.

Ronald left, and William continued to work. He placed his arm under Grell's back and raised him before discarding his vest and jacket. Unbuttoning the red-head's shirt, he wrapped the bandage around his chest, gently but firmly. William let out an irritated sigh. "Honestly, Grell. You've made this situation far worse than it should have been," he scolded.

"What d-do you m-mean?" Grell asked, choking on his words. Speaking had suddenly become much harder, and his head spun.

"I've spent all my time trying to find you ever since your name first appeared on my ledger. It didn't help that Mr Humphries and Mr Slingby kept your visit to the dispatch a secret, either."

"My n-name? On your ledger?" Grell questioned weakly, none of it making sense. If his name was on the list, then didn't that mean…

William nodded, securing the bandage. "Twice. Once when it said that you were going to be stabbed by a human with a scythe, then again just now, being stabbed by a demon. If the Undertaker hadn't of contacted me with your whereabouts and condition, I would have never have been able to make sense of things."

"W-Why didn't I die in the alleyway, then?" the red reaper whispered, the world becoming dark. "I should have, if my name w- was on the ledger."

"Perhaps so," his superior admitted. "However, as soon as your name appeared on my list, I removed it. If somebody is useful to the world-"

"-Their name can be removed, and they c-can continue living," the red head mumbled. "Can you imagine the amount of souls you'd h-have to collect without me? I didn't realize the rule applied to reapers, t-too."

His superior ignored the comment, continuing. "As soon as I did that, I alerted the infirmary. I had to come and get you; even I removed your name, it didn't mean you were safe. What if your name appeared again and I didn't notice? That's the downfall of death scythe wounds; the name appears suddenly, just as soon as the victim is stuck, I could have missed it altogether. And removing the name doesn't always _work_, it could show up again almost immediately depending on how bad the wound is. Unfortunately, the reaper who was sent to deliver that message to the infirmary also told a few others, and before long most knew that Grell Sutcliff was in danger. The rumours ranged, but the main one was that you'd been stabbed."

"That's how Alan and Eric knew…"

"Yes. I made my way to the alley by the Scotland Yard building," William pushed up his glasses, preparing to pick up Grell, "but you'd already gone. I recognised the scent of the demon and young Earl; however I assumed they had nothing to do with the case at hand. After all, they go to that building quite a lot. I checked my ledger to make sure your name hadn't appeared again… you made my job difficult."

Grell was about to speak, but he was elevated. In confusion, he looked at his superior. "W-Where are we going?"

"Haven't I made it clear enough? We're going to the infirmary, so you can be treated _properly_. Why you didn't go there in the first place is beyond me… how could a demon of _all_ creatures help you?"

Grell didn't answer. Tears stung the sides of his eyes; this was how Sebastian had held him. Before long, he'd lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>Warm. That's how Grell felt, as he was being carried. He wanted more of it, more of the feeling that he was being held lovingly. He tried his best to get closer to Sebastian, but he found he couldn't. The pain through him was worse than when he'd originally been stabbed, a lot worse. The thin knife was nothing in comparison to the large chainsaw scythe.<p>

"Are you awake?" That voice…

Grell's heart sank. It wasn't Sebastian's, but Will's. Everything came flooding back to him, causing him to fight back tears. "Yes… I'm awake," he replied dryly. "How long was I gone?"

"No more than a few minutes. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've just been stabbed with a death scythe,"

He felt himself being placed gently on something comfortable and he looked up to see many shinigami who he didn't recognise around him. He stayed quite despite the pain as they undid Will's bandage, which was already near soaked with blood. He looked away, the red bringing none of its usual comfort. It was sickening… there was just too much. It was dealt with no pleasure, only agony. They began placing all kinds of strange medicines and ointments on the wound; things that made it sting, and then go numb. Grell didn't want any of that.

All he wanted was Sebastian.

It took too long for them to finish, but when they did instead of pain was a strange, fuzzy sensation around Grell's stomach. It made him feel lightheaded, despite everything else. He looked down, surprised to see that the wound looked a lot better. The usual black surrounding it had faded; it seemed to be healthier.

They carefully wrapped the bandage around again, giving him strict instructions to try his best not to move too much. One by one the medical reapers left, leaving only two occupants in the room.

Grell avoided William's gaze, he didn't want to see him. He didn't want to see anyone, really. But he knew that he didn't really have a choice. Besides, he had some questions. "Will… how did this happen?"

"I presume you're referring to the case with Robert Bishop?" After receiving a nod, he sighed. "It's taken me a while to piece everything together. That case was the last on my mind; I didn't think it had anything to do with you. True, the sudden deaths were odd. But it was only when the Undertaker informed me earlier on today that you were investigating them that I saw similarities between what Robert Bishop was doing and what was continuing to happen. You know he possessed you, correct?"

"Yes. Sebastian told me," Grell replied, trying not to feel pain at the butler's name. "But I don't understand_ how_ it happened."

"You'd know most the answers if you had bothered paying attention in the academy," William stated. "Does the name Percival Waters mean anything to you?"

"Never heard of him," Grell said, leaning back onto the bed.

"Yes you have, Grell. We learnt all about him in the academy for weeks!" William shook his head when he realized that his former classmate probably hadn't listened at _all_. "He was a God of Death, one of the most historic ones. He spent most of his life as a reaper modelling death scythes, trying to learn how they worked. It was him that discovered the fatal flaw in the old scythes."

"Which was?" Grell asked, boredom clear on his face. What did it matter, that this older reaper had done with his life?

"When used against a human, they worked just as our ones do today. However, one day a human came across an abandon scythe. When the shinigami tried to retrieve it, he was attacked, and wounded. He didn't die right away, but something happened."

"The human was able to take control of his body?" the red head guessed, becoming interested.

"Yes. In the hands of a human, the old scythe had a different effect. Since reapers and scythes are, in some ways, connected, it seemed to be able to split the human's soul, placing one half in the reaper." William paused to look at Grell, who was beginning to understand. "That reaper was Percival Waters. Once they found out what had happened, as Percival began doing things he had no memory of, many past cases began to make sense. Cases where the reapers had been victim to their own actions, but ones they didn't remember. He modelled new scythes to use that wouldn't have that same problem. He managed to make only one, a mere day before he died. That's what the scythes today are based off."

"Wow…" Grell marvelled. "I… I had no idea."

"And that's why you should have been paying attention, Grell Sutcliff! It's a wonder you passed any of your classes, really." William sighed, continuing. "Every so often an old death scythe is found, usually in the human world, where many of them were lost. Reapers back then were so _unorganised_. There have been a few cases since then about reapers being injured with them, leading to situations like this." He finished, pushing up his glasses once more.

"That's why Alan gave me the book… he knew I was in danger," Grell muttered, everything coming together. "Of course, _he_ would have been paying attention to lessons like that." The door opened, and he turned his head the slightest bit. Through the haze of his mind, he saw three familiar figures, one of which he'd just been talking about. "Hi," he mumbled half-heartedly.

"Got into a fight with a demon, Grell?" Eric asked, grinning broadly. "You're a brave one, I'll give you that." He flopped into the chair next to him, chuckling.

"It's not like I wanted to fight," Grell replied, pouting. "It just sort of… happened."

Eric let out another chuckle of laughter. "Yes, these things _do_ happen. Aw well, at least he didn't kill you, eh?"

By his side was Alan, smiling softly at the patient. "I'm glad you're alright, Grell. Did my book help you out at all?"

"It was as useful as the Undertaker was when I asked him," the red head replied simply. "The part that I needed was completely smudged."

"Was it?" Alan said, frowning. "I'm sorry about that. The book was an old one, though. I'm surprised the whole thing hadn't completely fallen apart by now."

"It's fine. It looks like I'll be alright, anyway," Grell said, no emotion in his voice.

The younger one's frown deepened, but he said nothing.

"He seems to be in a stable condition," William explained, drawing everybody's attention to himself, "but we should take turns watching him, just in case. There's no guaranteeing that everything's alright just yet, unfortunately."

"In case of what?" Ronald asked, looking up from the doorway curiously.

The superior sighed. "The medicine might not have taken full effect yet; the human within Grell could return. Though his scythe seems to have shattered the soul, there hasn't been a case exactly like this in the past. We can't be sure everything's alright."

"W-What!" Grell stuttered, sitting up suddenly. "Will, why didn't you tell me?"

"It's highly unlikely that it _will_ happen, however it's best to be cautious. The last thing the dispatch needs is something like that to break out."

"I'll go first," Alan volunteered. "I'm not on duty at all today or tomorrow, so I should be alright."

"Thank you, Mr Humphries. The rest of you, back to your departments, please," William announced. Eric and Ronald scowled, but said no more as they were lead out of the room. The doors swung shut, leaving only Grell and Alan.

Neither of them spoke. Grell was lost in his own thoughts about Sebastian, what had been happening and all the murders he'd committed. Alan's were full of worry for his friend. What had happened to make the usually cheery reaper so downcast? It wasn't just that he was injured; Grell would usually find this to be a great opportunity to proudly tell everybody about the fight. But he was silent… sullen, even. It didn't seem natural.

"Grell, what's wrong?" Alan asked eventually, green eyes locked on him.

Grell looked up. "Nothing, I'm fine," he lied.

Alan shook his head, seeing past the falsehood. It wasn't a decent attempt, either. "No, you're not, I can tell. I may not have known you as long as Eric and William, but I still know something's bothering you."

"Really Alan, you can't expect me to be all happy and cheery after everything that's happened today, can you?" he snapped. "Believe it or not, but being stabbed by your own scythe isn't pleasant!"

"Grell," Alan said softly, extending a hand. Grell flinched, pulling away stubbornly. The brunette frowned; he was going to be difficult. "Grell… is there any way I can help? Please? I don't like seeing you like this. We care about you, you know. All of us."

The red reaper tried his hardest to stay strong. But Alan's last words dug up a painful memory within him. It had been a happy enough situation at the time, but looking back over it…

"_Sometimes, Grell, you can be a complete and utter idiot. Of course I care."_

That had been what Sebastian had told him. The time when Grell had begun to realize that perhaps there _was _hope for the two of them. Everything that had happened since seemed to have crushed it. He let out a sob, throwing his arms around the brunette's neck.

"Oh Grell… what's happened?" Alan murmured, awkwardly hugging him back.

Grell sniffed, letting go. "It shouldn't have ended like this, Alan. I-It really shouldn't have."

"How should it have ended, then?" Alan asked. "You're safe, Grell! William and Ronald managed to get you in time… had they delayed any longer, who knows what coul-"

"He should have killed me," Grell interrupted. "That's what he was ordered to do. My death scythe should have been the end of me, but it wasn't. Will and Ron showed up, and I'm supposed to be dead."

"You being alive is a good thing, Grell! We would have all been devastated to see you gone."

"But…" More tears fell. "I don't know, Alan. Without him, it seems pointless."

"You mean… the demon?" Alan asked, frowning.

Grell looked up sharply. "His name is Sebastian, Alan. He's not just some monster, _despite_ what you and Will may think."

"Sebastian… sorry," the younger reaper muttered. "If he tried to kill you, then why are you so upset about losing him? I'm sorry Grell, but I don't think I understand your point. Can you explain?"

Grell sighed, lying back down. Before he could stop himself, the whole story came pouring out. What had happened after he'd been stabbed, how Sebastian had helped him… everything that had occurred in the past few days. He saw Alan's expression fall when he described the pain of the wound, and even darken when he told of what Robert had done. He eventually got to the end, the worst part to tell. "He didn't want to kill me, you know," he whispered. "I know he didn't, Alan. He hesitated. He didn't want me to suffer, not like that. But he was ordered to, so he didn't have a choice." More tears, more despair. "H-He had to."

"…I think the best thing for now is to rest," Alan said after a pause. "You'll be alright, Grell, I promise."

"O-Okay," he mumbled, closing his eyes. The brunette was pleased to see that he seemed to fall asleep quickly, despite everything. He leaned back in his chair, suddenly aware of somebody standing nearby.

"It's not right to eavesdrop, Mr Spears," he stated, turning to look at his superior closely.

The other man raised an eyebrow, stepping forward. "The more information I have, the easier it will be to convince the Heads of the District that he wasn't responsible for the murders, and that there's no need for a court hearing," William replied. "I was hoping he'd say something _useful_."

"Is it likely?" Alan questioned. "That he'll be punished, I mean."

"No. Given the circumstances, I doubt even a hearing will be necessary. We have more than enough evidence to support that the actions weren't his own. The Undertaker's testimony should be useful, too."

"What about the demon's?" Alan asked, genuinely curious. "He was with Grell over those few days, and actually saw Robert Bishop take over his body. Will you get his testimony?"

William shook his head, eyes cold. "Most certainly not. I won't allow that _vermin_ to come anywhere near the dispatch, or Grell. Not after everything that he's caused to happen. Chances are he'll just attack him again, and being as understaffed as we are we just cannot afford to take the risk.

Alan hesitated before saying what was on his mind. "We both know that he's the reason you were listening in on the conversation," he replied quietly. "It had nothing to do with the hearing. As you just said, we already have enough evidence to get him out of it. Grell may be blind to your feelings for him, but the rest of us aren't. You wanted to know what happened between him and that de-… Sebastian, but you weren't going to ask him yourself."

Silence surrounded both of them. "Is that so?" William murmured.

"Yes."

The two looked at each other for a few moments before William scoffed, turning away. "Honestly, Alan Humphries. Where do you get your ideas from?"

"Denying the situation won't get you anywhere, William," Alan said calmly, green eyes locked on his. He looked back over at Grell, concern crossing his face. "And personally, I think he's going to need all the help he can get over the next while. He's been through a lot."

"_Help_? So he can get back together with that _demon_?" William spat. "I'm not that kind of person, Humphries. I doubt he'll _need _my help. I helped him with Jack the Ripper all that time ago, but he barely gave me a second glance. I got him off the charges with nothing more than a demotion, and was there on all his bad days. Instead he goes chasing after that _vermin_."

"You're missing my point!" Alan protested, sitting up.

"Unless you want overtime for the next week, attack or no attack, I'd suggest you stay silent," the older reaper replied firmly, signally the end of the discussion. He stared at him for a moment more, almost challenging him to speak, before turning around to leave.

Alan didn't reply. He knew that he was only an inch from crossing the line, and he didn't wish to see what was on the other side.

* * *

><p>It was completely wrong. Everything about what he was doing was wrong; both leaving his master's side, and going where he was going.<p>

He didn't have a choice. The situation at hand, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, had been bothering him for days. It was like a constant chant stuck in his mind, which made it almost impossible to complete his tasks. He just _had _to go.

But what was the purpose of going to where Grell's body was? Just to see him there? To move the body? What was there to _do_? Sebastian wasn't sure. Reasoning wasn't on his side as he found himself running to the spot in the dead of the night.

Coming out from the clearing of the trees, he stepped forward. Even though it was night, the moon was shining brightly, illuminating the area. He surveyed it swiftly, frowning.

There was no Grell.

"He he he~" an eerie voice called before Sebastian could react. He turned his head to see the Undertaker, sitting on a rock. "You won't find him here, Mister Butler."

"What have you done with him?" Sebastian asked quickly. "Why are you_ here_?"

"Me? I've done nothing. I'm sure that if you examined the area, you'd be able to find the answer to where he is," the silver haired man replied. "As for the next question, I could ask you the same thing. I had a feeling you'd come… but why~?"

The butler stepped forward, looking around carefully. There was a dark stain on the grass where Grell had been lying days before, but apart from that the area looked normal. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He breathed in, and noticed a particular scent in the air. The answer hit him hard. "Another reaper has been here. Two, actually," he replied. "One was William T Spears, I believe, but the other I'm not sure about. They came to harvest his soul, didn't they?"

"You were right about one thing," the Undertaker replied. "There were two reapers here."

"But… if they weren't harvesting his soul, then what were they doing?" Sebastian asked. "Do reapers not require soul harvesting?"

"He he he… perhaps taking him back to the infirmary?" the Undertaker suggested, smiling gleefully.

"The infirmary?" Sebastian murmured. "But that would mean… no…"

"Yes, Mister Butler," the reaper confirmed. He hopped off the rock, grinning widely. "He is alive."

* * *

><p><strong>In truth, I did dislike this chapter, but after tweaking it I don't find it as bad. Just sayin'. I hope you like it, and didn't mind me adding my own little piece of shinigami history (Percival Waters).<strong>

**Also, sorry if Alan seemed OOC. I thought that, out of all the reapers, he would be the best to listen to Grell's woes. However, I may be slightly biased (big fan of both him and Eric, haha)****.**

**Almost there, guys. Two more chapters to go… the thought is scary!**

**~Clide**


	13. That Reaper, Recovering

**A/N: Second last chapter, next is the epilogue. It's crazy how fast this has gone D: I'm gonna miss this story!**

**I finished NaNoWriMo on the 16****th****, and was going to update that weekend. I got distracted and began watching Back to the Future, though. It was a valid cause, I assure you.**

* * *

><p>The night was peaceful, the moon illuminating their surroundings gently. The two figures stood there for a long while, one sinking in the information he'd just been told. Eventually, the Undertaker stepped forward to the stunned butler, walking around him. "Oh my… this certainly is a hilarious," he commented gleefully. "You should <em>see<em> the look on your face~! But I do wonder… what will you do now?"

Sebastian looked up at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"You know where he is, so what will you do next?" the Undertaker clarified. "After all… you're surely not going to just ignore it, are you? He really should be dead… how often does something like this happen?"

"What's the point in going?" Sebastian asked him. "I'm the reason he's in the infirmary in the first place, he won't want to see me."

"But you don't know for sure, do you? His heart still beats… you're just going to throw away that fact?"

_Grell was alive_… that in itself was amazing. The Undertaker was right; how could he just ignore it? He'd come there expecting a dead body, and discovered that there was no dead body to find. Despite the wound the scythe had given him, he'd pulled through it. Death really was strange like that.

But there was still the block that the reaper might not _want_ to see him. He view on the butler could have changed afterwards; he might not be so forgiving. And Sebastian wouldn't blame him.

"It's amazing that he's alive," he began, "but-"

"Oh, demon," the Undertaker muttered. He gripped Sebastian's tailcoat, pulling him close roughly. "You really _are_ pathetic, you know."

Sebastian sighed, prying the Undertaker's fingers away from him before pushing the other man aside. "How so?"

"You're only making excuses for yourself. With this particular reaper, I doubt very much he hates you," the Undertaker replied. "So I'll ask once more; what will you do?"

"I am unable to get into the Reaper Realm in the first place," Sebastian said bitterly. "So this line of questioning will lead nowhere."

The Undertaker's smile quickly turned into a wide grin. "Don't be so sure~"

Sebastian shook his head slowly, understanding. "You're a reaper. Why the Hell would you want _vermin_ like me in your realm?"

"I find you entertaining," the silver-haired man replied simply. "I find you _both_ entertaining."

Sebastian snapped. He hand quickly gripped the Undertaker's chin, forcing him to look up into his blazing eyes. "_Entertaining_," he spat. "Just as you found his suffering _entertaining_? Why you refused to tell him what was going on? The damned soul could have killed him! Had we known earlie-"

"Much wouldn't have happened, am I correct?" the reaper interrupted, getting out of the hold with ease. "Imagine that I'd told him right there and then what was happening. How would things be different now?"

"For one," Sebastian growled, "I wouldn't have been forced to stab him. The murders would have stopped, and-"

"But what about the spark that ignited with you both?" the Undertaker whispered, grinning from ear to ear. "There was a time, butler, that you couldn't stand the sight of him. A time when you would have gladly put an end to his immortal life. And in my shop that day, you still hadn't completely altered your perspective of him to how it is now."

Sebastian gave in. "Just shut up and lead to me the Reapers' Realm."

* * *

><p>It had taken quite a bit of persuading to get the Undertaker to take him, despite the fact that he seemed to <em>want<em> him to go. The price was thirty-six laughs, which had taken longer than Sebastian had liked. He didn't have all night; if his young master awoke to find him gone, things would be bad.

"We are here, Mister Butler~" the Undertaker announced, giggling as they appeared before the tall building. "I wish you good luck."

"Thank you. Do you know where the infirmary is?"

"Indeed I do. But it will take another five laughs for me to show you." The silver man began to cackle, looked up at him with expectant eyes.

"Forget it, then."

The Undertaker smiled mischievously. "I wish you good luck in finding your _lover_." He whispered before exploding into another fit of laughter that rang loudly throughout the building.

The raven haired man would kill him if people found him because of the noise. He began his search, not wanting to waste another moment. He should be at his master's side, and if the servants were unable to protect the estate from intruders…

Most of the places, he found, were only offices. There seemed to be hundreds of William clones, unsmiling, entirely focused on their work. They didn't even look up when he peered in, perhaps a little too far, for they were so absorbed in their work.

What boring people.

He found that most of the shinigami placed in the department labelled as General Affairs were female, and didn't seem to mind chatting as they worked. At least they seemed to have _some_ sort of personality.

Though he wasn't an expert, reapers did fascinate Sebastian. He couldn't understand why they were so willing to set their whole lives to one job, repeating the same duties day after day. As a demon, life was completely different. Even playing as a butler, it had been a choice to enter a contract. He could have just found another soul and taken it, even with the risk of the reapers becoming agitated. Contracts were a cure for boredom, and not just another meal.

The building was larger than he would have liked, and though nobody else seemed to be wondering the corridors, he couldn't help but feel he was wasting time. He needed to just get to the infirmary, do whatever he planned on doing, and leave.

And, after searching for a while longer, he found it. Opening the wooden door carefully, he entered the bleak and boring room.

He squinted his eyes a little, one colour surrounding him completely. White. The beds, walls, and even the floor were coloured that way, making the room seem a little too ordinary. What was it with reapers and ordinary? It seemed that nothing was allowed to stand out from everything else.

But something in the room did stand out. A rich, fiery red was fanned out on one of the pillows, and no matter where you looked in the room, you would always notice it.

Slowly, Sebastian approached him. There was no doubt in his mind that the resting figure was Grell; who else could possibly have hair bright as that? Standing by the side of the bed, he studied the red reaper.

Grell was pale. Not the way he usually was, one that suited him, but almost at the point of a deathly white. Sebastian slipped off the glove to his right hand, and gently touched Grell's cheek. It was colder than it should have been, something that concerned him. Did temperature affect reapers? The thin, cotton, and of course _white_ night grown that they'd dressed him in probably wasn't helping much. At least when Grell was under his care he was more comfortable.

His other features seemed to stand out more with the paler skin. The red lips, the closed eyes… each one was, lack for a better word, perfect. Even with the absence of makeup they all seemed to blend well together. Sebastian was slightly transfixed; had Grell always been like that? Had he really been blind the whole time to how he really looked? He pulled up a chair, deep in thought.

He was here, and Grell was alive. Should he wake him? Actually have a conversation with him? There was the thought at the back of his mind, the nagging thought, that Grell would hate him after what he did. It would come as no surprise; he'd almost killed him. Regretfully, but it didn't change the situation much, if any. Grell had experienced pain because of him, pain that surely would have been worse than what Robert Bishop delivered. Was it worth the risk?

He decided it was. Withdrawing his hand from Grell's cheek, he placed it on his shoulder, shaking him gently. "Grell," he whispered.

The reaper stirred slightly, but not nearly enough to show that he was awake. He seemed to slip back into his slumber quickly, unwilling to meet reality.

Sebastian felt a sharp jab of guilt. Grell clearly wasn't recovered, and needed rest. Waking him wasn't the best way for him to heal. However… this could be the last time in a while. The Undertaker mightn't take him to the realm again, and the odds of Grell being put to work anytime soon were slim. He was about to try once more, however footsteps behind him caused him to hesitate.

"What are you doing here, demon?"

The cold voice of William T Spears came from the entrance behind him. Sebastian cursed himself; he should have been more careful.

"I was not told that I was uninvited," he responded, turning to look at the other.

William wasn't pleased. In fact, he was completely the opposite. He viewed Sebastian from under his glasses, and though his expression was the same, it was evident he was furious. The sharp emotion seemed to be coming in waves from his skin. With death scythe in hand, it would have sent many running. "You shouldn't be here. What purpose do you have, except to cause havoc?" The words were spoken with as much disgust as one could manage.

"I think you'll find that my goal here is to create no trouble," the butler replied, turning back to the patient.

William's eyes fell on where Sebastian's hand was, resting naturally on Grell's shoulder. His eyes narrowed. "Release him," he ordered, gripping his scythe a little tighter. "As Head of Di-"

"I think he would decide for himself what he wants, don't you?" Sebastian stated pleasantly, eyes locked on him. "If I woke him, he would probably wish to see me, and your _authority _couldn't change that." Though he spoke the words with certainty, he knew it mightn't be the case.

Something that was the equivalent of a smirk crossed the superior's face. "Perhaps that would be the case, but perhaps not."

The demon's expression flickered. The way William had said it made it seem like there was more to the situation than Sebastian knew about. "Excuse me?"

"As an _unfortunate_ side effect Robert Bishop's destroyed soul, we've found that Grell doesn't seem to have any memory of what happened ever since that old scythe wounded him," William informed him. "As the soul was destroyed for good because of the medication, it took just a little part of him with it. More specifically, memories of its time in his body. He knows nothing of what occurred in the past few days, and at the moment believes that he was merely victim of his actions with his own death scythe."

"You're keeping the truth from him?" Sebastian asked in disbelief, standing. His hand slipped from Grell's shoulder. "He doesn't know what Robert Bishop did?"

William didn't reply, only kept his gaze firmly on Grell.

"So you won't tell him what happened," Sebastian stated. "Doesn't he have a right to know, or have I overlooked a factor?"

"Really, demon," William snapped, "would you like to be the one to tell him he's a murderer? _Again? _That he killed all those people? He's done it in the past; however you never saw the impact it had afterwards. Once he realized what he'd done, it took months before he was a little more like his old self. I was there to pick up the pieces and help him." He took another few steps forward. "I don't wish for him to go through something like that again."

Sebastian couldn't deny that the reaper's argument was solid. It had never occurred to him how Grell had fared after the Jack the Ripper incident, and he honestly hadn't given it a second thought at the time. But now Grell's reaction after he was told he was a potential murderer was beginning to make sense. '_Not again_,' he'd whispered in dread. The terrified look with the new information clicked together.

"Furthermore, you have no right to lecture me over a matter such as this," William continued. "In the first day that he was here, he spoke about you while sleeping. And your _master_."

"Those are two completely different matters," the butler told him, knowing what he was talking about.

"I think you'll find that they're alike in many ways," William replied. "You're keeping the truth from him about his memories, but your reasons are selfish. I only have Sutcliff's best interests in mind."

"But of course."

"So, if you were to wake him now," William continued, "he would only see you as another one of his petty crushes. Nothing more, and nothing less. Would you like to explain to him why it's your fault he's in this condition? Why many humans' blood is on his hands?"

"Why didn't you stop this, before it went too far, then?" Sebastian snapped. "Before the first murder was committed?"

"His name appeared on my list," William admitted, pushing his glasses up with his scythe, "and I left immediately. But by the time I arrived in the alleyway, he was gone."

"You were too slow."

"I was late by only three minutes."

"You should have been three minutes faster," The butler told him. "He wouldn't be injured; he would have never murdered anybody. The way I see this, it's your fault, Spears."

William raised an eyebrow. "Funny. It was never an obligation for you to take him back to the Phantomhive Manor was it? He meant nothing to you. So why then? You had no reason to, except perhaps for some _entertainment_."

Sebastian was about to retort, but the figure next to him began to stir slightly. He looked back to Grell, who had a frown on his lips. His eyes flickered opened, and he blinked once, twice, slowly.

"Grell?" the butler murmured, turning away from William again. He leant down, studying him properly.

Whether Grell heard him or not wasn't evident. He continued to look around the room, green eyes lost in confusion. It was as if nothing in the room was there, to him. It was then that Sebastian remembered; he couldn't see a thing without his glasses. Spotting them by the bedside table, he snatched them up. He was about to place them on the reaper's nose, but was suddenly thrown against the wall, his hand burning. The glasses fell, and he turned his head to see that William's death scythe had pierced though his hand, pinning him back.

"Leave." The order was harsh and cold.

"Playing dirty now, are you?" Sebastian spat, trying to move his hand. The blood dripped down to the floor, staining it. Against the white, it was impossible to ignore such a mess. "I didn't think you had it in you, Spears. But when the prize is dear, it makes people change."

"You won't touch him."

"Won't I?"

A sound that resembled a growl escaped William. "I'd be careful what you say, demon!" he hissed. "You're outnumbered. You're in a building full of reapers, and I can tell you right now that Grell is the only one who doesn't mind your sort."

"I managed to get in without a problem," Sebastian stated.

"The Undertaker is a fool who doesn't understand the seriousness of the situation." William pushed up his glasses, and released him. "Now, _leave_."

Sebastian looked at the other for a few more moments before giving in. Hundreds of humans were one thing, but reapers? They were troublesome at times, especially in groups. The task would be trickier than he'd want. He looked down at Grell, who seemed to be back into his rest. His non-bloodied hand trailed down his cheek, one last time.

"As you wish."

He turned to leave, closing the door after him. Before it completely shut, he looked back in.

William was by the side of Grell's bed, staring at him in an expression that was different. Softer, more tender. Loving? It made something inside Sebastian want to race back into the room and tear him apart. To claim Grell for his and his alone, and get him out of the building. Out of the Reaper Realm for good. Anything from then on would be unknown.

But it never happened. He left silently.

* * *

><p><strong>I really am sorry about the short chapter length. I really could have just added my epilogue into this, however... I'm not ready for this story to end. Not just yet.<strong>

**Also, if their speech seemed… off, blame NaNoWriMo. The story I wrote was set in current times, so I had to adjust to more normal speech. Hopefully I've adjusted back!**

**I hope you enjoyed, and want to take this time to thank my amazing reviewers who have stuck with me after each chapter. You guys make this story even more enjoyable to write, so thank you! :D**

**~Clide**


	14. That Reaper, Remembered

**A/N: Silly season II of Kuroshitsuji. It makes figuring out what characters are doing much harder (ie, Alan and Eric. I was going to add them in this chapter but then I realized 'shit, are they even alive at this point in time?' So I had to cut them out D:) **

**Last chapter. Actually kind of sad.**

* * *

><p>Sleep was what occupied Grell's days for the next couple of weeks. The wounds were healing as expected, but the side effects of all the medication he'd been given was fatigue, much worse than when he had the soul inside him, using up a large amount of his energy. He couldn't stay awake for more than two hours a day, and when he was, he was in such a confused state that he could barely think.<p>

On most of those days, William was with him. Whenever he wasn't it was usually Alan, and occasionally Ronald or Eric. But Grell barely remembered those times. His mind was in too much of a mess to figure out. The only thing he recalled was when William told him why he was in the infirmary in the first place; a death scythe accident. The red reaper had no memory of such a thing, but why would his superior lie to him? Knowing him, he'd _probably_ done something irresponsible like that.

Grell wasn't sure why he was there anymore. Everything he thought of made no sense, and he could never find the right words to ask people what was going on. What people were saying to him didn't make sense. He felt fuzzy and heavy at every moment, but despite that he could still recognise a terrible emotion. Boredom. It was only after the end of the second week that the medical reapers decided both wounds were alright, and stopped giving him the medicine.

He was slowly pulled back into the real world, and after another few days he was allowed to go home. Grell was weak; not that he'd ever tell anybody the true extent of it. With William's help (he seemed a little more protective than usual), he was given another week off all reaping duties, which was a relief. His worker stayed with him until he was able to take care of himself properly.

It was on one of those nights that Grell asked him, "William, why are you doing this?"

The other had looked up from the book he was reading, green eyes confused. "Pardon?"

Grell took in a breath. "Why have you been with me all this time? I'm just another employee to you, aren't I?"

"Isn't it obvious that I care about you, Sutcliff?" William asked, standing. "Perhaps… more than a co-worker should?" He made his way across the room and held the red head in his arms tenderly.

Grell had accepted the embrace, a smile on his lips. But inside, it felt wrong. Everything about the embrace was wrong. His heart usually would have been racing upon learning that his superior saw him as more than just an employee, however it stayed the same. The news was almost dreaded, he just didn't know why.

It was only after William had left and he returned to work that the dreams began to come. They were impossible to decipher properly, so full of everything imaginable. Somebody was in his thoughts… but who? They were shrouded in mist, and Grell could never see his face. But whoever the person was, he missed him.

_Why was nothing making sense?_

Another week passed, the dreams haunting him every night. In a way, Grell didn't mind. Each time, a little more of the figure was revealed, and he wanted, no,_ needed_ to know the truth. There came a point when no more of the dream was shown, and it seemed to be stuck. This irritated the reaper; why couldn't things be more simple?

It was one day that he was out working with William and Ronald that he found it. Turning around, because he heard _something_, he was met with a table, set daintily with some cups of tea and a note. Apparently, Ciel Phantomhive was dead.

It was just a cover story; Sebastian must have taken his soul. Grell hadn't seen that brat's name on any of the lists.

William offered to walk him home one night, and Grell accepted, deciding that there was no harm in the act. They arrived, and the superior stayed, finishing off some paperwork silently. Grell hadn't minded; he curled up in one of the red armchairs, reading Romeo and Juliet in front of the fireplace.

He wasn't paying much attention to the words on the page. Tonight, Shakespeare's language seemed more like jumble than anything else. His mind was too distressed, trying to work out the meaning of the dream. That's what Grell did in his spare time; think about it. It was only when he reached a certain quote that he paused, staring at the page in shock.

"Thus with a kiss, I die," he murmured in confusion.

Thus with a kiss, I die.

_Thus with a kiss, I die._

Grell shrieked, dropping the book in shock. It landed with a small thud on the ground, but his stunned mind barely registered the sound. He stared blankly, his mind reeling frantically with memories of Robert Bishop, the crazed man leaping forward with the knife. Being held by the Phantomhive butler as he held the wound together, saving him. Examining various crime scenes, then visiting the Undertaker. Finding out he was a murderer, and Ciel's order…

Days' worth of memories flooded through him, and finally ended with Sebastian kissing him after being forced to stab him with the chainsaw scythe. Grell relived the pain, and his eyes widened.

"_Thus with a kiss, I die,"_ were the words that he'd had uttered as Sebastian left. The butler had been the one in his dreams; the mist finally cleared.

But none of this added up; William had told him that there was a death scythe accident. Why would he lie?

…William, who was now in front of him, green eyes full of concern and something else that made the other reaper furious. The hand he'd placed on his shoulder shouldn't have been there, and Grell shrugged it away roughly, recoiling.

He pulled his hand back and sharply drew it across William's cheek. The superior stumbled backwards, falling against the coffee table. After a moment of regaining his thoughts, he looked up at Grell wordlessly, expression stunned.

"How dare you!" the red reaped snapped, stepping forward. "How _dare_ you lie to me!"

"Lie?" William asked, eyebrow raised in question.

Grell saw through the mask easily. "I've remembered, William," he said coldly. "I've remembered _everything_. I know what Robert Bishop did, and I know what I've done. You kept the truth from me… you bastard!" Hot tears stung the sides of his eyes, but he tried to ignore them.

"I did it to protect you, Sutcliff," William tried to reason, standing shakily. "The last thing I wanted was to cause you unneeded pain about the killings, and I know what happened last ti-"

"I don't care that I'm a murderer," the redhead interrupted smoothly. "I wasn't in control of my actions, so I'm not really responsible. Robert Bishop is the one with blood on his hands; this is far different from Jack the Ripper. But now he's gone."

Without another word, Grell ran out of the house, only one destination in mind.

* * *

><p>By the time he arrived at the Phantomhive Manor, it was already dark. Grell noticed that the servants seemed to have finished up their work for the day as he peered into the windows. After looking into Ciel's study and bedroom, he was dismayed. There was no earl or butler in sight. Though he'd expected it, his heart fell.<p>

Swiftly, he jumped in through a window that somebody had neglected to lock properly and made his way through the manor, stumbling against the walls in a daze. He took in a few deep breaths, heart hammering. After trying to regain his composure, he continued on.

It couldn't be true. Sebastian couldn't be gone.

He searched the manor from top to bottom, examining every room down to the last hair. He even managed to get a glimpse into the servants' quarters without being noticed, but it yielded the same heartbreaking results.

Grell knew his efforts were fruitless. He slumped down in one of the hallways, a sob escaping him. His hands cupped his head, tugged at the red strands. He really was gone.

Minutes, perhaps even hours, passed. The red haired reaper didn't care; he had no desire to return to the Reaper Realm and hear William's pathetic excuses. In his eyes, he had nowhere to go. Ronald would be out partying, and he didn't feel like breaking and entering. The Undertaker was completely out of the question.

He stayed in the same position, until he felt a gloved hand firmly grip his shoulder. "Grell, might I ask what business you have in the estate at this time of night?"

Tensing, the reaper looked up slightly. He couldn't help but let out a gasp as he saw the figure in front of him. Candelabrum in hand, he was dressed in his usual attire, neat as always. True Sebastian.

Despite Grell's joy at seeing him, another sob erupted. He jumped to his feet, and catching the demon by surprise hugged him tightly, earning a sigh from the other. "Just to see an old friend, Sebby dear," he replied simply.

Sebastian sighed, looking at Grell's green eyes with irritation. "How many times must I tell you before you will understand? I am not your friend, nor do I wish to see you in any way."

For a moment, Grell frowned. What did he mean? The dreadful thought that those few days had only been a façade entered the reaper's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. It dawned on him that this wasn't the first time he'd seen Sebastian since being released from the infirmary. They'd crossed paths when trying to work out what Claude Faustus had done with Ciel's soul, and in the labyrinth. Was it possible that he knew of Grell's memory loss? It would certainly explain his actions.

"Oh really, Sebastian," Grell scolded playfully, "perhaps I'm not using the right words?"

"I don't wish to hear any more words from your mouth."

Grell sighed, letting go of his but attaining a strong grip on his arm. He lead him quickly through the corridor until he found the room he was looking for. The guest bedroom he'd occupied during his stay… it seemed like a lifetime ago.

He opened the door, turning to face the butler. "We spent a whole night in the room," he said. "Well, not a whole night. Sometime during it I, well rather, _Robert Bishop_, snuck out and killed Eve Marshals. However, my point still stands."

Sebastian looked at the reaper, expression twisted into something intelligible. "What did you say?"

"But we were only _there_ because that stupid bastard left my glove behind to frame me," Grell continued. "How _cruel_, to force a lady to suffer because of his actions! I really was upset when you were ordered to kill me, Sebastian. My only chance was running away." He smiled, loving the look of shock that was spreading over the other's face. "Oh, but of course, you caught me~! I don't remember much after that."

Silence. Then, "You… you remember this?" Sebastian whispered.

Grell smiled. "Yes. I really can't believe that Will tried to keep the truth from me! But love conquers all, you know. Dear Shakespeare helped me remember." He frowned. "Sebby, why didn't you tell me as soon as you saw me?"

The butler didn't reply. Before Grell knew what had happened, he was pulled into a tight embrace against him. Sebastian's amber eyes looked into his green ones, filled with a bittersweet happiness. "Grell… you're back."

Grell smiled, holding onto him gently. "I knew something was missing. This whole time since I left the infirmary, I haven't felt whole. But now…" He had to stop himself from crying; things would be alright. He and Sebastian-

His good mood ended abruptly. "S-Sebastian," he whispered urgently, "why are you here? In the maze, you should have completed your master's contract. Why did you return to the manor?"

Sebastian stiffened, and his head dropped. "I'm afraid I've found myself in a terribly tricky situation, Grell," he replied softly. "My young master's soul is untouchable."

"Wh-What?" Grell stuttered. "Wait… _he's alive?"_

"Yes, but not as a human. He is a demon," Sebastian told him. "One of the last orders he gave me before his transformation was to ensure I stayed as his butler, until I take his soul."

The information sunk in slowly. When Grell did understand, his heart fell. Tears sprung to the sides of his eyes, but ones full of pain this time, and he drew his head back to look at demon. "Does… does this mean what I think it does?" he asked with dread.

Sebastian nodded, looking away. "I am bond to him for eternity."

"But… bu-but," Grell stumbled, unable to find the words. He took in a few deep breathes. "I-Is that why you left?"

"Yes."

"You're coming back though, aren't you?" Grell demanded, panic filling him rapidly. "That's why you're here now!"

"I'm here now because my master ordered me to be," Sebastian replied. "He wanted to know how the manor was faring after our departure. It seems there are some things that he is still attached to, even as a demon." He sighed. "We're not returning."

The reaper froze, arms going limp. He fell to the ground, feeling numb with shock. Sebastian's face was a blur in front of him, he couldn't concentrate on it. Maybe the butler said something; he wouldn't have known either way.

He was leaving. The one person who he'd felt lost without was leaving again. Eventually, he became aware of the wetness on his cheeks, caused by his rushing tears.

"Grell."

The voice was soft, too soft. It was a voice that made him melt a little inside every time he heard it, and now this would be one of the last times he would have the chance. "Please, stay," he begged.

"I can't."

Grell felt himself being pulled to his feet, and looking up at Sebastian again. "Then let me come with you," he pleaded. "I need to know where you're going!"

"I wish to say, but he's ordered me not to tell a soul," Sebastian explained, holding him gingerly. "Even a shinigami's. And you can't come with us."

"Why not?"

"At this very moment, my young master believes you are dead," the butler pointed out. "If he finds out the truth, he will order me to kill you. And being a demon, he will have the ability to follow wherever we go to make sure it actually happens. Especially since he remembers that you are responsible for the death of Madam Red, and that I disobeyed last time, though it was unintentional." He shook his head. "I won't allow a risk like that."

Grell placed a light kiss on Sebastian's lips, and when he went to pull away, the butler responded. Two figures, trapped in their own world as their lips stayed connected. Grell poured everything into the kiss, and Sebastian received every emotion, each one affecting him more than he would have liked. It was hard enough already.

The kiss halted, and amber eyes stared into green ones. "I'm sorry, Grell."

"Please," the reaper asked once more, though he knew the answer.

Sebastian smiled sadly before kissing him once more, softer this time. It didn't last as long. "I have no choice. If I did, then I would never have stabbed you. I wouldn't have left you in the infirmary that day, and we could be far away by now."

Grell sighed, leaning against Sebastian's chest. "Might I have… one last night?" he requested, arms locking around his middle. "To be with you, Sebastian? Just to have you at my side, I won't ask for anything else."

The white gloved hand slipped down to the black one, and squeezed it gently. "Yes, my lady," Sebastian whispered. "My young master allowed me to leave for the whole night, so I'm sure I'll be able to manage." He scooped Grell up, making him giggle in surprise, and carried him over to where the bed was, gently resting him down and lying next to him. Grell leant in closer to him, closing his eyes.

* * *

><p>Sebastian thought he'd fallen asleep, after over an hour's worth of silence. But eventually Grell spoke. "Sebby? Will I ever see you again?" he whispered.<p>

"The honest answer?" After receiving the nod, the demon sighed. "I can't say for sure, however the chances are slim."

"I'll miss you. It's unfair, don't you think? That we've finally… worked things out, but you have to leave so soon."

"I never thought you would remember," Sebastian murmured, "or survive the wound. You being here right now is, lack for a better word, a miracle."

Grell nodded, knowing he had a point. The scythe should have killed him, but he'd gotten though. He felt a slight wave of guilt when he realised that it was only because of William, but quickly smouldered it. He shouldn't have been lied to. Things could have worked out differently. "I just wish there was more time."

Sebastian adjusted the hold around the reaper, pulling him a little bit closer. "You're not the only one. May I ask you something?"

Grell nodded, closing his eyes. "Of course."

"You constantly claim you love me, am I correct"

Grell smiled slightly. "Because I do."

"Why?"

"Do you believe in love at first sight, Sebastian? I do. But I don't think that was case for us. Back then, I was attracted to you, immensely. So cold, so… handsome. After what Robert Bishop did," he touched his stomach absent minded, "I realized that there was another side to you. I think I really fell in love then… and the fact that you seemed to hate me made me even more determined."

Grell never saw Sebastian's expression. A few moments later he felt a warm hand rest on his stomach, over his own. "Does it hurt?"

"No. There's barely even a scar, which is lucky." The reaper laughed. "I'm still beautiful, Sebastian. Now, can I ask_ you_ a question?

"If you wish."

"Why did you kiss me, when you left that day? And now?" Grell enquired, green eyes scanning his face.

"Did it occur to you that perhaps I wanted to?" The butler asked him.

A light hearted smile tugged at Grell's lips. "So, you care about me, missed me, and want to kiss me," he confirmed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you loved me."

There was no reply.

* * *

><p>Hours past, and slowly the sun crept onto the horizon. Grell knew it was a sign; a sign that Sebastian would be leaving soon. He bit his lip, and the one holding him recognised what it meant.<p>

"Please, don't cry," he requested, tilting Grell's chin to look at him gently. "I want to remember you as flamboyant and happy, not sad."

"I-It's hard."

Sebastian captured Grell's lips in an unexpected kiss, making the other's heart hammer wildly. He smiled. "I can hear your heart beating, you know," he whispered. "It has quite an interesting rhythm. I'll remember it."

He rose, and Grell's stomach dropped. "You're leaving right now?"

"Unless I wish for my master to suspect something, yes." Sebastian could feel Ciel's impatience through the contract, and it was beginning to grow. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"I suppose this is it, then." Grell sighed, standing. Lips connected briefly, then briefly again. Neither could believe that it was really the end. "Thank you for everything, Sebas~chan."

"I hope to see you again one day, Grell."

"Really? I thought by now that you'd have gotten sick of me, seeing so much red and all." Grell admitted, laughing.

"I don't know if that would be possible." Sebastian hesitated, frowning. "The colour… seems to have grown on me."

The reaper could only manage a small smile afterwards, but he felt his throat closing up painfully "I… I don't know if I'll be able to hold back any longer, Sebby. I'm sorry." He said, looking down.

The demon nodded with understanding, kissing Grell quickly on the hand. "It's alright, Grell. I need to be going myself."

"I love you, Sebastian," the redhead choked, shaking. He closed his eyes, unable to look at him properly. A small draught of wind rushed past him, and after another few moments he opened them again.

Grell was alone in the room. Burying his head in his hands, he gave in to the overwhelming emotion. It tore into him painfully, making him never want to move from his position. He was glad the butler never saw the many more tears that fell.

* * *

><p><strong>And it's over. I don't even know if this could be considered an epilogue. It's a pretty long chapter.<strong>

**I had three possible endings; this, Grell not remembering at all (God, that would have been a short epilogue) or Grell remembering but arriving to the manor and finding no Sebastian (again, would have been short). I decided on this one, but I changed my mind heaps of times, hehe. My original planning sure got mangled! I'm sorry for those of you who were expecting a happy ending. I'm a sucker for angst.**

**I sincerely hope you enjoyed, and would like to thank all my readers and reviewers for your support. I've loved to know your opinion on the story, and am still open to feedback (hint hint :P).**

**~Clide**


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